New SMEX Report Maps the Spyware Industry’s Grip on West Asia & North Africa

SMEX has released a landmark research report, Click, Load, Kill, that charts how commercial spyware vendors operate across West Asia and North Africa, and who they help governments target. Drawing on leaks, public records, court documents, and previous research, the report identifies NSO Group, Cytrox/Intellexa, Cellebrite, and Saito Tech (Candiru) as the most active vendors in the region, with cases heavily concentrated in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It provides the most up-to-date picture yet of these companies’ corporate structures and catalogues spyware incidents linked to them, highlighting the human impact on dissidents, journalists, and human rights defenders. Produced in collaboration with FIND and supported by Access Now, the report adds critical evidence for advocates seeking to rein in the global spyware trade. It also shows the global collaboration taking place between SAI grantees.

Read the full story on SMEX.