Secret Global Surveillance Networks: Intelligence Sharing Between Governments and the Need for Safeguards

‘Secret Global Surveillance Networks’ is a major PI report, based on an unprecedented international collaborative investigation carried out by 40 NGOs in 42 countries.

Our research shows that, globally, the sharing of intelligence is alarmingly under-regulated, opening the door to human rights abuses. Intelligence sharing has evolved dramatically with the rise of new surveillance technologies, enabling governments to collect, store, and share vast troves of personal information, including data collected via mass surveillance techniques. And yet, our research demonstrates that most intelligence sharing arrangements are secret and most countries lack any domestic regulation of this practice. We found that a number of countries' intelligence agencies have no clear legal obligation to even inform oversight bodies when they enter into intelligence sharing agreements.