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The latest worrisome trend to hit cyberspace is the sale of dirt cheap hacking equipment to many dictatorships and Third World countries. Recently, Ethiopian journalists have been the focus of hackers. And Ethiopian government is involved in this hacking. This is a serious and blatant violation of human rights and has to be stopped at all costs.
The very fact that it exists is sickening! It portrays a world reminiscent of the dystopia George Orwell depicted in his nightmarish novel 1984. Once the sole province of big government agencies such as the CIA, NSA or KGB, hacking equipment and software has now unfortunately spread to small-time states as well.
This of course spells plenty of trouble for these states have totalitarian systems installed in their governments. The potentates who rule them want to keep an eye on every citizen of their jurisdiction just for the sake of limiting his or her individual freedom.
Quite recently, some Ethiopian journalists were under surveillance by similar hackers who wanted to harm them. Ethiopia has a bad human rights record. Political repression and imprisonment over the smallest misdemeanors are the order of the day.
Similarly, other countries which include Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, UAE and several others are using the spyware to keep curbs on their citizens.
Already a man named Ahmed Mansoor has been arrested in the UAE for supporting human rights and individual values. He has served a seven month prison sentence due to his vocal views. This charged technology could have dire consequences especially in the wrong hands.
The world community must be very careful lest every Tom, Dick and Harry gets looked upon with suspicion from above by the watchful eyes of Big Brother!
Source: WP