# Examples of FAANG and large organizations spying on people Multiple - Many governments ([such as the Israeli police](https://web.archive.org/web/20220208184156/https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3927410,00.html)) have plenty of spying tools through [military spyware company NSO Group's Pegasus](https://web.archive.org/web/20210718161802/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2021/nso-spyware-pegasus-cellphones/) that allow people to easily see individuals' devices. - [2020-10 Denmark partnered with the USA's NSA to use their XKEYSCORE software to tap cables](https://web.archive.org/web/20201028203355/https://www.electrospaces.net/2020/10/danish-military-intelligence-uses.html). - [2021-06 Google installed the Massachusetts' health notifications app automatically to users' phones without their consent](https://web.archive.org/web/20210619160716/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.ma.covid19.exposurenotifications.v3&showAllReviews=true). - [2021-07 Hungarian journalists and opponents of Victor Orban have been targeted by the Israeli cyber weapon Pegasus](https://web.archive.org/web/20210719195833/https://telex.hu/direkt36/2021/07/19/pegasus-nso-hungary-viktor-orban-cyberweapon). - [2022-05 The EU claims it's protecting children, but prefers to cross individuals' privacy](https://web.archive.org/web/20220614071545/https://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2022/05/11/european-commission-prefers-breaking-privacy-to-protecting-kids/), and [have a mass surveillance plan established](https://web.archive.org/web/20220614013747/https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/chat-control-eu-commission-presents-mass-surveillance-plan-on-may-11/). - [2022-07 Google and Amazon will share user information without a police warrant](https://web.archive.org/web/20220727002501/https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/26/23279562/arlo-apple-wyze-eufy-google-ring-security-camera-foortage-warrant). - [2023-05 The FBI and "threat intelligence" firms create fake online personas to watch Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp](https://web.archive.org/web/20230510212839/https://www.leefang.com/p/private-spies-hired-by-the-fbi-and). - [2023-06 The United Nations wants to synchronize digital identification across nations](https://archive.is/apAg4). - [2023-10 Lockheed can track GPS devices from satellite data](https://jackpoulson.substack.com/p/lockheed-is-now-tracking-phones-and). - [2023-12 Multiple governments use Apple and Google push notifications to spy on users](https://web.archive.org/web/20231207132345/https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/governments-spying-apple-google-users-through-push-notifications-us-senator-2023-12-06/). - [2023-12 Every major pharmacy chain gives the government warrantless access to medical records](https://web.archive.org/web/20241224153027/https://www.techdirt.com/2023/12/28/every-major-pharmacy-chain-is-giving-the-government-warrantless-access-to-medical-records/). US - A key aspect of the history of [encryption](encryption.md), the Enigma machine, is the basis for [the first major surveillance by the USA](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-nsa-attempting-to-insert-backdoors-into-encrypted-data). - [2013-09 The NSA staff will spy on ex-lovers and spouses with the information they've gathered](https://web.archive.org/web/20171028232806/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-surveillance-watchdog/nsa-staff-used-spy-tools-on-spouses-ex-lovers-watchdog-idUSBRE98Q14G20130927). - In 2020, [US citizens were given "COVID decree scores" during the first few months of the COVID-19 lockdown](https://web.archive.org/web/20221025185443/https://reclaimthenet.org/us-analytics-firm-covid-19-decree-violation-scores/). - [2022-02 The CIA has been collecting *tons* of individual citizens' private information, and it's unclear how much they have](https://web.archive.org/web/20220212214337/https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-and-heinrich-newly-declassified-documents-reveal-previously-secret-cia-bulk-collection-problems-with-cia-handling-of-americans-information). - [2022-09 Law enforcement's Fog Reveal tool may violate the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution](https://web.archive.org/web/20220901172703/https://www.theblaze.com/news/mass-surveillance-tool-used-warrantlessly-may-violate-4th-amendment). - [2022-09 US border forces take Americans' phone data and hold it for 15 years](https://web.archive.org/web/20220916085630/https://www.engadget.com/us-border-forces-traveler-data-15-years-085106938.html). - [2022-10 The Department of Homeland Security has had a strong agenda to influence tech companies to police disinformation](https://web.archive.org/web/20221031090508/https://theintercept.com/2022/10/31/social-media-disinformation-dhs/). - [2022-12 Chaos Computer Club discovered the US military used vast quantities of biometric measurements to capture people in Afghanistan](https://web.archive.org/web/20221227072024/https://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2022/afghanistan-biometrie). - [2023-03 The Secret Service and ICE frequently use fake phone towers in violation of the US Constitution](https://web.archive.org/web/20230304030443/https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/04/dhs_secret_service_ice_stingray/). - [2023-05 The FBI has misused their surveillance data over 280,000 times between 2020 and early 2021](https://web.archive.org/web/20230610193436/https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/22/fbi_fisa_abuse). - [2023-06 The government of the US has been stockpiling a "large amount" of "sensitive and intimate information" on its citizens](https://web.archive.org/web/20230612195047/https://www.wired.com/story/odni-commercially-available-information-report/). - [2023-07 The FBI misused Section 702 to surveil several public officials](https://web.archive.org/web/20230723044928/https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4110850-fbi-improperly-used-702-surveillance-powers-on-us-senator/). - [2023-11 The FBI director has openly admitted they rarely have probable cause when searching NSA's archives](https://web.archive.org/web/20231121193233/https://www.techdirt.com/2023/11/21/fbi-director-admits-agency-rarely-has-probable-cause-when-it-performs-backdoor-searches-of-nsa-collections/). China - China often gathers enough data that they can often detect political opposition (which includes religious persecution) before people have even discussed their opinions with others. They also have [the most powerful content tracking system in the world as of 2021](https://web.archive.org/web/20211004170458/https://www.thetechlounge.com/great-firewall-of-china/). - [2020-05 Xiaomi's built-in browsers are essentially spyware](https://web.archive.org/web/20200504191144/https://palant.info/2020/05/04/are-xiaomi-browsers-spyware-yes-they-are.../). - [2021-07 Tencent is introducing facial recognition to detect minors who try to play video games at night](https://web.archive.org/web/20210706120232/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1007915/tencent-deploys-facial-recognition-to-detect-minors-gaming-at-night-). - [2022-01 Some Chinese hardware comes with malware pre-installed](https://web.archive.org/web/20220122165826/https://www.rmcybernetics.com/general/zhengbang-zb3245tss-pick-place-machine). - [2022-06 TikTok quietly updated its privacy policy to collect face prints and voiceprints](https://web.archive.org/web/20220630031139/https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/security/tiktok-privacy-faceprints/). - [2023-12 TikTok's platform anomalies align with the CCP's objectives](https://networkcontagion.us/wp-content/uploads/A-Tik-Tok-ing-Timebomb_12.21.23.pdf). Australia - [2021-06 Australia is essentially a surveillance state until the pandemic is "over"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210601005113/https://ia.acs.org.au/article/2021/australia-is-becoming-a-surveillance-state.html), and [they are legally permitted to gain warrants to scan and change absolutely anything in a computer](https://web.archive.org/web/20210902073603/https://digitalrightswatch.org.au/2021/09/02/australias-new-mass-surveillance-mandate/). EU - [2022-01 The EU wants to create its own DNS resolver, which would allow it to see where everyone goes on the internet and filter out sites it doesn't approve of](https://web.archive.org/web/20220119185337/https://therecord.media/eu-wants-to-build-its-own-dns-infrastructure-with-built-in-filtering-capabilities/). - [2023-10 The European Commission is pushing to conduct mass surveillance on all EU citizens through digital communication apps](https://web.archive.org/web/20231013093104/https://dannymekic.com/202310/undermining-democracy-the-european-commissions-controversial-push-for-digital-surveillance), largely [through the European Commissioner's involvement with NGOs](https://web.archive.org/web/20230927090430/https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/breyer-on-chat-control-investigative-research-eu-commissioner-as-double-agent-of-foreign-interference/). UK - [2021-08 Sky Broadband is blocking IP addresses deemed to be infringing laws](https://web.archive.org/web/20210829083116/https://torrentfreak.com/sky-subscribers-piracy-habits-directly-help-premier-league-block-illegal-streams-210828/). Netherlands - [2022-09 Dutch intelligence has moved its oversight approval system from before surveillance to mid- or post-surveillance](https://web.archive.org/web/20220909181832/https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/resignation-as-intelligence-regulator/). - [2023-06 The Dutch government is proposing to add an extension to its intelligence and security services powers](https://web.archive.org/web/20230607181701/https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/dutch-intel-law-about-intel/). - [2023-08 A legislative proposal will make all Dutch transactions surpassing €3000 in cash against the law](https://archive.is/20230823135947/https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/geldzaken/vraag-en-antwoord/grote-aankopen-met-contant-geld#selection-151.76-151.77). France - [2023-07 The French government passed a bill that allows them to remotely activate a phone's cameras, microphone, and GPS](https://web.archive.org/web/20230708100636/https://gazettengr.com/france-passes-bill-to-allow-police-remotely-activate-phone-camera-microphone-spy-on-people/). Iran - [2022-10 Iran uses a robust system called SIAM that can track geolocation data, extract precise cell information from phones, and severely downgrade a phone's mobile network on command](https://web.archive.org/web/20221028040506/https://theintercept.com/2022/10/28/iran-protests-phone-surveillance/). They [also have a robust firewall that prevents a free internet](https://web.archive.org/web/20221028125851/https://blog.thc.org/the-iran-firewall-a-preliminary-report). Serbia - [2021-09 Serbia was going to implement a massive surveillance law, then quickly withdrew it](https://web.archive.org/web/20210923152309/https://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2021&mm=09&dd=23&nav_id=111798). Turkey - [2023-08 After an earthquake, Turkey restricted access to Twitter, justifying national security](https://web.archive.org/web/20230208135247/https://netblocks.org/reports/twitter-restricted-in-turkey-in-aftermath-of-earthquake-oy9LJ9B3).