Today, at the third Summit for Democracy in Seoul, South Korea, Secretary Blinken announced that Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Poland, and the Republic of Korea have joined the Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware, launched by an inaugural group of 11 like-minded countries at the second Summit for Democracy. The Joint Statement collectively affirms the threat posed by the misuse of commercial spyware, and countries commit to working within their domestic systems to establish robust guardrails to counter the proliferation and misuse of this sophisticated surveillance technology.  

The United States’ flagship side event at the third Summit for Democracy, “Galvanizing Multi-Stakeholder Action to Combat the Misuse of Commercial Spyware,” highlighted the new Joint Statement countries and, for the first time, provided a platform for a victim of commercial spyware to share his experiences with ministers and other high-level participants from across the globe. The event also featured an investigative journalist and representatives from a technology company and the investor community.  

On March 19, the second day of the Summit, the Joint Statement countries will meet in person for the first time. It will be an opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned, and identify opportunities to most effectively counter the misuse of commercial spyware.  

At the second Summit for Democracy in March 2023, the United States announced key initial actions related to commercial spyware:   

Over the past year, the United States has implemented a government-wide approach to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware, including  

Taken together, these actions demonstrate U.S. leadership in countering the threats posed by the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware and send a strong signal that those who misuse, or enable the misuse, of this technology will face consequences.