The Persian Gulf is home to a trio of major events where spyware companies and government officials mingle to make multimillion-dollar deals. Milipol, ISS World, and IDEX all attract big crowds with increasing demands. Tal Dilian, the CEO of the surveillance company Intellexa, says Asian and African governments feel more comfortable purchasing surveillance equipment and spyware in the region—where, critics say, there is less legal oversight of the booming industry.

In the Middle East, spyware is big business. It's a billion-dollar industry in countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where surveillance has become a booming enterprise - and one that local governments don't seem to mind. In fact, according to tal dilian of Intellexa, these governments are some of their best customers at international security shows in the Persian Gulf region.