United States Mission to the United Nations
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2024
Readout of Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Participation in a Roundtable Discussion on the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware
The below is attributable to U.S. Mission to the United Nations Spokesperson Nate Evans:
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, joined by senior White House officials, met today with representatives from civil society organizations to discuss the threat posed by the misuse of commercial spyware. The meeting was hosted by the Ford Foundation under the auspices of the Spyware Accountability Initiative.
Participants welcomed the opportunity for dialogue and expressed that recent actions taken by the United States and in partnership with other countries have helped to further galvanize global attention on this topic. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield underscored that the far-reaching implications of this weaponized technology for our democracy, our privacy, and our fundamental human rights demanded that we take further action to help deter and prevent the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware.
Toward that end, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield emphasized the U.S. intention to work at the United Nations to build support for strong and effective guardrails on this technology, building on multilateral efforts announced at the Summit for Democracy and other recent international meetings. Civil society representatives agreed on the benefits of achieving a meaningful consensus at the United Nations around a basic set of norms on commercial spyware. They offered their assessment of best practices and lessons learned from recent national and multilateral efforts, and welcomed the U.S. commitment to a multi-stakeholder approach that takes into account the views of relevant actors – including victims of spyware abuse, civil society, and the private sector. Participants reflected on the importance of holding this meeting during world press freedom week, as journalists continue to be among those targeted by the misuse of commercial spyware.
All participants committed to intensify the mutually beneficial exchange of ideas and remain in close contact.
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This article was originally published by a usun.usmission.gov . Read the Original article here. .