Dozens of Salvadoran Journalists Were Surveilled Using NSO Group’s Spyware

News of the surveillance operation comes as Bukele, who some have dubbed a “Millennial Dictator”, is taking active steps to manufacture an image of himself for foreign observers as Latin America’s tech-friendly crypto king.

Last year, Bukele famously pushed a controversial new law making bitcoin an official legal tender and requiring its use for payments by businesses. The leader has even spoken of building a literal bitcoin city powered by geothermal energy from the base of a volcano. The mostly tax-free zone would reportedly feature a central plaza that will look like a bitcoin symbol from above and may serve as a hub for energy-intensive crypto mining.

International regulators have expressed concerns over El Salvador’s bitcoin embrace, warning it could make the country a hotbed for money laundering and other financial crimes. Credit rating agency Fitch also expressed concern last year that the new law could essentially funnel Bitcoin traffic through El Salvador which may “increase the risks that proceeds from illicit activities pass through the Salvadoran financial system,” Fitch told Reuters.

Both Citizen Lab and Access now have released statements urging the international organizations to step up efforts to combat surveillance operations moving forward.

“The world is witnessing an unprecedented explosion of the use of government-mandated surveillance, supported by private companies like NSO Group,” Access Now wrote in a statement. “The lack of accountability for such egregious conduct by public authorities and private companies allows the surveillance culture to flourish, and destroy human rights.”