UK court rejects Bahrain immunity claim in spyware case
A UK court has rejected a claim of state immunity filed by Bahrain in a civil spyware case, allowing the lawsuit to proceed. The case centers on allegations that Bahraini officials used spyware to access private computers, intercept communications, and activate microphones and cameras to surveil the plaintiffs.
Why this matters: A foreign government argued it should be immune from a UK court answering for alleged spyware attacks on people's devices. The court said no. That matters because state immunity is often the wall that stops spyware victims from getting any day in court at all. This ruling keeps the case alive and puts the conduct itself on trial: secret access to files, intercepted messages, cameras and microphones turned into surveillance tools. People targeted by governments rarely get this far. When they do, it sets a marker for what courts will and will not let slide.
Who should care: Privacy officers · Cybersecurity
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