Hey there! The use of the Internet and other digital technologies is rising among journalists, activists, dissidents, scholars, attorneys, and similar professionals who have to deal with delicate matters, since these tools help them to communicate, investigate, disseminate information, and collaborate with others. All of this has certainly made communication much simpler, but at the same time, it has created a new opportunity for conducting surveillance.
The basic meaning of the term “spy on dissidents and journalists” is broad and could mean various kinds of electronic surveillance, starting with simply listening to phone calls and tracing the devices, and finishing with compromising accounts and using sophisticated spyware. Nevertheless, while the means of conducting surveillance vary, the intention behind it is pretty much the same—to detect information about a person’s communications, connections, location, sources, activities, and profession.
As for journalists, if a journalist’s devices and communications are overtaken by the authorities, it can lead not only to the violation of a person’s privacy but also to the revealing of confidential sources. And for dissidents, surveillance means gaining access to information about connections, plans, meetings, and communications with other people.
Monitoring Dissidents and Reporters
In simple terms, digital surveillance refers to the processes and techniques of obtaining and using information about someone without appropriate permission and knowledge.
Surveillance techniques can include everything from simple techniques (such as inquiries into public records or databases) to complicated techniques such as hacking into a computer.
Surveillance can also target various forms of information. For instance, it is possible to monitor the exchange of information, its sender and recipient, geolocation of the users, their photographs and documents.
Not all types of surveillance involve the use of malicious software. A weak password, a compromised account, an insecure application, or an unprotected database can give access to valuable information.
This is why information security is important for everyone whose work involves sensitive information, political activities, investigation, or controversial issues.
Why Are Journalists the Target of Digital Surveillance?
Journalists often deal with sensitive information that parties may wish to protect. For example, investigative journalists may engage with whistleblowers, sources, informants, officials, corporate insiders, or other confidential informants. Thus, the compromised devices of journalists can allow for collecting data on the activities of the entire network of individuals.
Additionally, attackers may want to find out which stories are being prepared, what information is not publicized yet, where to find a journalist's source, and other data. In particular, journalists covering corruption, organized crime, national security, and other subjects are more likely to deal with digital security issues. Moreover, surveillance does not necessarily require using sophisticated technologies.
Why Are Dissidents and Activists Exposed to Risk?
Dissidents and activists might be exposed to different or interlinked forms of risk. Those who take part in protests, political campaigns, civil-rights activities, environmentalism, or any other public activities normally cooperate with numerous persons. Such individuals might have numerous contacts, partners, organisations, and events, as well as their own conversations on their digital platforms.
An intruder who has cracked one of those accounts may make use of the information acquired to find others to target. This has a chain reaction. One person might inadvertently bring others into jeopardy. Thus, the protection of one’s devices and digital accounts matters for community members as well.
For example, Iran’s intelligence service continues to spy on dissidents, journalists and activities across the world. The campaign is controlled through the Telegram messaging system and can copy the target’s emails and chat messages, take screenshots, and enable the microphone to record audio.
Common Methods Used for Digital Surveillance
Phishing is one major approach commonly used in digital surveillance. Phishing refers to actions that deceive a target through communication that is made to look legitimate and trick them into either revealing their passwords or downloading something harmful.
Account hacking is another major danger in digital surveillance. For instance, an attacker might obtain the username and password of an email account, which will thus give them access to the victim's password reset link, files stored in the cloud, and their contacts.
Device hacking is an even more serious threat that can occur. Malware or spy software can potentially access any information on the phone or the computer of the target.
Network surveillance is also capable of exposing some information in cases where communication is not secured. At last, social engineering can be mentioned as a technique that relies not only on technology but on the manipulation of people, making them disclose information or undertake an action.
Spyware and Advanced Device Compromise
Spyware refers to software meant for tracking actions or gathering data on a device. Depending on the specific kind of spyware and the permissions given, compromised devices may leak texts, documents, pictures, contacts, location data, microphone inputs, etc.
Some types of commercial spyware have been very important on the international level because of their ability to compromise mobile devices and obtain sensitive information. Sophisticated spyware may be especially hard for average users to detect, as sophisticated attacks can use loopholes that do not require any direct interaction from the user.
That is why people in the high-risk category should not believe that avoiding suspicious links keeps them fully protected.
Phishing Continues to be a Significant Danger
Even when high-tech spyware exists, simple social engineering still works well. An attacker can pose as somebody else, such as an editor, a coworker, a government official, a researcher, an organization, or someone else they know.
The communication may include a link to a phony login webpage or an infected document. Journalists are particularly vulnerable when it comes to targeted phishing since their work entails interaction with many new people.
For instance, a journalist investigating an organization may receive numerous emails from people claiming they have documents or information relevant to the investigation. That is why security awareness is critical.
They must confirm unexpected requests through a different channel of communication and refrain from entering personal data into links received unexpectedly.
Confidential Source Protection
One of the primary fears regarding cybersecurity is source protection. A journalist can provide the contents of a chat while leaving identifying information available through metadata, syncing contacts, getting notifications, having backups, and using compromised devices.
In other words, source protection involves more than just picking out an encrypted chat app. Other considerations include where the chat was stored, if any device was shared, how backups are configured, and what is notified.
Also, sensitive information should be compartmentalized wherever possible. The fewer systems that have information about a source, the fewer possible points of compromise.
What Steps to Take If Surveillance Is Suspected
In the event that journalists or activists suspect that their device or account has been hacked, they face two options: either they wait too long to take action or take immediate steps to delete the incriminating evidence.
In order to track the source of the hacking, it is critical to keep proof of the hack. Moreover, one should take the necessary precautions to secure their affected account from a trusted device, change their password and take into account the incident response plan.
In the case of highly sensitive individuals, it is recommended to get in touch with experts in digital security or incident response rather than trying to solve the problem independently and by themselves. It is also important to find out if other individuals may have fallen victim to the hack through the compromised account or device.
Why Threat Modeling is Important
Not everyone is facing the same level of threat. Threat modeling provides the user with information about who might be a threat to him, what information can be of interest to an attacker, what system holds this information, and what may happen if it gets compromised.
For instance, a local journalist might experience different threat levels from a national security correspondent. Similarly, an activist working on an open campaign is most likely to be threatened to a different degree than someone dealing with sensitive information. Thus, all security measures should be appropriate for the danger level.
Is it Possible to Eliminate Surveillance by Utilizing Technology?
No one security system is capable of ensuring complete protection. Attack techniques change, program problems are constantly found, and human faults can create opportunities for attackers.
Even state-of-the-art security measures can fail. The goal is therefore to minimize risk. Good authentication, safe devices, encryption, program updates of programs, careful working with sensitive information, security training, and response to incidents can help to complicate the process of unauthorized surveillance.
Finally, high-risk people may also need a special security evaluation.
Digital Surveillance in the Future
Artificial intelligence could have a profound impact on the world of surveillance and security. AI assists in processing massive flows of information, identifying significant patterns, performing reconnaissance, and perhaps even making social engineering attacks more credible.
The defenders can also use AI technology to assess security telemetry data, reveal abnormal behavior, detect suspicious messages, etc. This leads to an ongoing technological confrontation between the two sides. With the advance of surveillance technologies, digital security practices will have to develop as well.
Conclusion
The capacity to watch activists and reporters poses significant threats to their digital freedom and privacy, because the implications may reach beyond the victim. A journalist’s safety breach may compromise his/her confidential informants. An activist’s privacy breach could inadvertently expose data about his/her co-workers or supporters. A hacked account provides the attackers with access to other platforms and relationships.
In order to minimize the risks, one needs to use different methods of protection. Reliable authentication, secure devices, software updates, encryption, conscientious communication practices, thoughtful usage of cloud-based services, training employees in cybersecurity, and implementing procedures designed for dealing with incidents should contribute to mitigating the risks mentioned above. Most importantly, one should consider cybersecurity as a continuous process rather than a configuration.
For people dealing with private data or vulnerable sources as part of their occupation, it is crucial to understand the possible dangers and take appropriate measures in the security domain in order to protect oneself and the people who rely on them.