Spyware:-

Amidst the strained relations between Germany and Turkey, German authorities have found Germany has charged four individuals for their alleged involvement in selling spyware to Turkey's secret services to facilitate the monitoring of the opposition. 

In 2019, four non-governmental organisations, that work for press freedom and human rights, filed complaints in the Munich district court which led the German authorities to probe into the matter. Following this, German prosecutors took action by charging four former company executives of FinFisher, a company based in Munich involved in the development as well as the sale of spyware to Turkish law enforcement agencies and intelligence services. 

The investigation revealed that FinFisher had entered into a contract in 2015 with the Turkish secret services. The contract involved the sale of monitoring software to the Turkish authorities along with accompanying training and support services and was valued at over five million euros ($5.4 million). In order to conceal FinFisher's involvement, the contract mentioned a Bulgarian company as the seller of the spyware, which enables its user to access and gather information from computers and smartphones making it easy for them to keep track of various forms of communication.

They were charged with indulging in illegal activities related to the sale of surveillance software to Turkey's secret services, which would facilitate the use of the software for spying on the nation's opposition. Additionally, they also violated laws that prohibit the sale of "dual-use" products to countries outside the European Union without proper authorization. Such products satisfy both civilian and military purposes hence lacking the capability to discriminate between civilian use and military use. 

This is not the first time that the German company is under suspicion of selling surveillance software to Turkey's secret services. In 2019, a similar incident had taken place where the same Firm was suspected of selling spyware to Turkey.

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