The following transcript is from the opening speech by Pieter Omtzigt, former member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and former rapporteur on Pegasus and other spyware and secret state surveillance. The speech was delivered at the Sandbox Conference organised by the Civil Society Digital Security Network (CSDSN) in Tirana on 27 May 2026.

Civil Society Digital Security Network (CSDSN) brought together human rights defenders, journalists, activists, legal experts, and digital security specialists in Tirana, Albania, from 26 to 28 May 2026 for the Sandbox Conference "Protecting European Civic Space in the Digital Age". Supported by Stiftung Mercator, the conference served as a safe space for open dialogue on the growing digital threats facing civil society across the Western Balkans and the European Union.