Detekt to Resist Government Surveillance

It has been well documented that governments are using surveillance technology to target human rights defenders, journalists, NGOs, political opponents, religious or ethnic minorities and to conduct countrywide surveillance.

In recent years we have witnessed a huge growth in the adoption and trade in communication surveillance technologies. Such spyware provides the ability to read personal emails, listen-in skype conversations or even remotely turn on a computers camera and microphone without its owner knowing about it.

Some of this software is widely available on the Internet, while some more sophisticated alternatives are made and sold by private companies based in industrialized countries to state law enforcement and intelligence agencies in countries across the world. 

There is little to no regulation currently in place to safeguard against these technologies being sold or used by repressive governments or others who are likely to use them for serious human rights violations and abuses.

What is Detekt?

Detekt is a free tool that scans your Windows computer for traces of FinFisher and Hacking Team RCS, commercial surveillance spyware that has been identified to be also used to target and monitor human rights defenders and journalists around the world.

If you suspect you are at risk of targeted surveillance you should always seek and follow security advice to ensure you protect yourself and others in your digital communications. 

It is important to underline that if Detekt does not find trace of spyware on a computer, it does not necessarily mean that none is present. Some spyware will likely be updated in response to the release of Detekt in order to avoid detection. In addition, there may be existing versions of spyware, from these or other providers, which are not detected by this tool.

Downlaod detekt from github

Is Detekt for me?

If you suspect that your work or activities put you at risk of targeted surveillance you may wish to use Detekt to scan your computer for traces of known spyware.

How Does it Work?

Before launching the tool, close all applications and make sure the computer is disconnected from the Internet. if spyware is detected, you should not reconnect the computer to the Internet again until it has been cleaned. We recommend that you disable your Antivirus software to prevent possible interference or false positives.

Get the complete tutorial from the official website.