Tactic
Surveillance and subpoenas
A government collects journalists' communications or records, often to learn who their sources are. Methods include subpoenas (court orders to hand over records or to testify), search warrants, seizure of phones and notes, demands to telephone and internet companies, and spyware placed on reporters' devices.
The earliest incident in the record using this tactic is dated 1 January 1953.
The ladder for surveillance and subpoenas: where this tactic has led, stage by stage
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
Incidents by country and year
Australia, RSF 2026 rank: 33rd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 2019 | Australian Federal Police raid the national broadcaster over reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan | Punish | Scott Morrison | Reversed (15 October 2020) |
| 15 April 2020 | Australia's High Court invalidates warrant for raid on journalist Annika Smethurst | Punish | Scott Morrison | Reversed (27 May 2020) |
Bangladesh, RSF 2026 rank: 152nd of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 February 2025 | Journalists beaten in Bangladesh in separate incidents as interim government drafts new cyber laws | Punish | Muhammad Yunus | Ongoing |
Hungary, RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2021 | Hungary: investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi's phone is infected with Pegasus spyware | Punish | Viktor Orban | Ongoing (1 July 2021) |
India, RSF 2026 rank: 157th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 February 2023 | Indian tax authorities search BBC offices weeks after Modi documentary ban | Pressure | Narendra Modi | Unknown |
Malaysia, RSF 2026 rank: 95th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 September 1998 | Malaysia pressures domestic media and monitors foreign correspondents after arresting former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim | Pressure | Mahathir Mohamad | Unknown |
Mexico, RSF rank: not recorded
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 June 2017 | Mexico: journalist Carmen Aristegui receives Pegasus spyware through phishing texts | Punish | Enrique Pena Nieto | Unknown (20 June 2017) |
Morocco, RSF rank: not recorded
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 July 2020 | Morocco: investigative journalist Omar Radi's phone is infected with Pegasus spyware and he is later detained | Punish | Saadeddine Othmani | Reversed (1 July 2024) |
Saudi Arabia, RSF 2026 rank: 176th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2018 | Saudi Arabia: spyware on an associate's phone precedes Jamal Khashoggi's killing by one day | Punish | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | Unknown (1 October 2018) |
United Kingdom, RSF 2026 rank: 18th of 180
| Date | Incident | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 2013 | United Kingdom detains journalist's partner under terrorism law and oversees destruction of Guardian hard drives holding Snowden files | Punish | David Cameron | Upheld by a court (19 January 2016) |