Privacy International...has launched a new searchable database on hundreds of surveillance companies across the world, as part of an effort to track a murky industry. Created in collaboration with Transparency Toolkit, the Surveillance Industry Index (SII) includes information on more than 520 surveillance companies, as well as the technology they have exported to government agencies and telecommunications companies... "State surveillance is one of the most important and polarizing issues of our time, yet the secrecy around it means it's a debate lacking reliable facts," Edin Omanovic, a research officer at Privacy International, said... "Understanding the role of the surveillance industry...is crucial to...fostering accountability and the development of comprehensive safeguards and effective policy." ...Privacy International says that only Finland, the UK, and Switzerland have released useful statistics on export licensing... [refers to Gamma International (part of Gamma Group), FinFisher (part of Gamma Group), Advanced Middle East Systems, Cerebro (part of Advanced Middle East Systems)]