Bulgaria's Circles Exports Surveillance Tech to Rights Violators

Human Rights Watch found that between 2018 and 2023 Bulgaria approved export licenses for Circles (linked to NSO Group) allowing sale of surveillance tools—including phone tracking and communications interception—to countries with records of human rights abuses (e.g., Azerbaijan, Serbia, UAE). The exports are believed to have been used to target journalists and political dissenters, raising concerns about misuse, weak oversight, and gaps in EU dual-use export controls.