British firm offered spy software to Egypt
\nActivists say they were the targets
\nBy Eli Lake
\nThe Washington Times
\n8:35 p.m., Monday, April 25, 2011<\/p>\n
Egyptian anti-regime activists found a startling document last month during a raid inside the headquarters of the country\u2019s state security service: A British company offered to sell a program that security experts say could infect dissidents\u2019 computers and gain access to their email and other communications.<\/p>\n
The discovery highlights the emerging market of Western companies that sell software to security services from the Middle East to China to spy on the kinds of social media activists who recently toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia.<\/p>\n
Amid the scattered papers, interrogation devices and random furniture found during the raid, the activists uncovered a proposed contract dated June 29 from the British company Gamma International that promised to provide access to Gmail, Skype, Hotmail and Yahoo conversations and exchanges on computers targeted by the Interior Ministry of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.<\/p>\n
The proposal from Gamma International was posted online by Cairo physician Mostafa Hussein, a blogger who was among the activists who seized the ministry\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important evidence of the intent of the state security and investigation division not to respect our privacy,\u201d Mr. Hussein said. …more<\/a><\/p>\n