The Italian Coalition for Civil Rights and Freedoms (CILD), together with Privacy International and the Hermes Center for Transparency & Digital Human Rights, wrote a letter to the Italian Ministry of Economic Development denouncing surveillance exports by Italian companies.

'Spy Merchants'

Last week, CILD wrote for a second time to the Italian Ministry of Economic Development denouncing surveillance exports by Italian companies and asks to release information on the authorizations that have been issued.

The Ministry replied that that information cannot be released due to secrecy issues and trade protection.

The organizations' letter follows the release of "Spy Merchants," a new feature documentary that aired last week on Al Jazeera. It shows the severity of the surveillance industry’s threat to privacy and other human rights and the urgent need for its exposure.

The documentary, relying on undercover footage, shows a number of Italian and international surveillance company representatives willing to export surveillance equipment with little regard to human rights.

Earlier export stopped

Back in January, the three organization wrote another letter to the Ministry, expressing the belief that the export of an internet surveillance system to Egypt posed a clear risk to human rights.

The Ministry replied that the license of the company exporting the system to Egypt had been suspended and pledged to revoke it soon.