Sandvine, a company known for its internet surveillance technology used by authoritarian regimes, has announced plans to exit Egypt along with 55 other “non-democratic” countries as part of a major shift in its business strategy.
Founded in Canada, Sandvine stated its intention to reposition itself as a “technology solution leader for democracies.” In line with this new direction, the company confirmed it will leave Egypt by the end of March 2025. Additionally, services to non-government customers in Egypt will cease by the end of 2025.
Sandvine’s move follows years of scrutiny and investigations, particularly by Bloomberg, which revealed that the company’s products were sold to regimes such as those in Egypt, Belarus, Eritrea, the UAE, and Uzbekistan, allowing for internet censorship and surveillance of citizens.
The company’s decision to exit Egypt and other nations was based on The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2023 Democracy Index, which categorizes countries by their regime type. Sandvine consulted with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of State, and other U.S. government officials in reaching this decision.
Egypt is one of the few named countries in Sandvine’s announcement, and the company has not yet provided a full list of the other countries it plans to leave.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Commerce placed Sandvine on its Entity List, accusing it of selling products to the Egyptian government, which allegedly used them for mass web monitoring and censorship to suppress political dissidents and human rights activists.
Citizen Lab, a digital rights research group, has also published reports accusing Sandvine of enabling spyware redirection in countries like Turkey and Syria, alongside its role in Egypt.
Experts suggest that Sandvine’s shift may be in response to pressure from U.S. government actions, including sanctions. These actions are seen as an effective method to curb the spread of harmful surveillance technology.
