Poor accountability, weak control mechanisms, and inadequate legal frameworks have fostered systematic human rights violations across the Americas, leaving victims without recourse. The **EFF**'s new guide, *Tackling Arbitrary Digital Surveillance in the Americas*, seeks to address these issues by leveraging human rights norms to challenge state privacy violations. ### Key Recommendations for Governments The guide compiles privacy, data protection, and access to information guarantees established within the Inter-American Human Rights System. It offers concrete guidance to governments to break the cycle of state digital surveillance abuses. The document outlines essential safeguards and institutional measures, detailing the rules, parameters, and standards needed to overcome current harmful practices. As concerns over national and public security intensify, countries in the region are increasingly normalizing the use of digital surveillance technologies by security forces. However, the **EFF** argues that arbitrary surveillance offers no real protection. ### The Threat of Unchecked Surveillance When public security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies neglect or harm established rights in the name of national security or public order, they themselves become a threat. This situation was thoroughly analyzed in a report by the Freedom of Expression Special Rapporteur of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, highlighting the serious impacts of digital surveillance on freedom of expression in the Americas. ### International Obligations The majority of states in Latin America have ratified the American Convention on Human Rights. The parameters and rules described in the **EFF**'s guide stem directly from their obligations under international human rights law. State agents and institutions must take the necessary steps to implement these measures. ### Essential Legal Frameworks According to the **EFF**'s guide, states must implement clear and precise legal frameworks that: * Define surveillance powers and limitations. * Ensure all surveillance measures pursue legitimate aims without discriminatory ends. * Subject interference with privacy to rigorous necessity and proportionality analysis. * Require prior judicial authorization for digital surveillance measures. * Maintain detailed records of surveillance operations. * Establish independent civilian oversight institutions with technical expertise and enforcement powers. * Guarantee individuals' right to informational self-determination and proper notification. * Provide effective remedies and reparation for victims of surveillance abuses. States must also establish the institutional processes and structures necessary to give effect to these legal guarantees. By embracing the guide’s recommendations, states will not only comply with their international obligations but also build more resilient, rights-respecting security architectures capable of addressing genuine threats without sacrificing fundamental freedoms. Civil society leaders, activists, legal experts, public defenders, oversight institutions, and state officials committed to human rights must unite and intensify the fight against the normalization of digital surveillance abuses in the Americas. The **EFF** hopes that its new guide will serve as a crucial tool in strengthening this ongoing effort.