US bans maker of spyware used to target government officials, journalists

The Treasury has banned the makers of spyware used to target government officials, reporters and activists, introducing “first-ever” sanctions against commercial spyware sellers.

us government deployed It imposed sanctions on Greece-based spyware vendor Intellexa and its leadership on Tuesday after targeting U.S. officials.

Brian E. Nelson, the Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said, “Today’s action marks concrete progress in stopping the misuse of commercial surveillance tools that increase security risks to the United States and its people. It is a thing,” he said.

The Treasury Department has arrested two individuals associated with Intellexa for their role in “developing, operating, and distributing commercial spyware technology” that was used to target policy experts, reporters, human rights activists, and government officials. and targeted five organizations.

Tuesday’s announcement marks the first time the United States has sanctioned a commercial spyware company. The technology has come under intense scrutiny for its ability to collect data, contact lists and recordings without the knowledge of cell phone owners.

The sanctions will prevent U.S. companies and residents from doing business with publicly traded companies and individuals, including Intellexa founder Tal Jonathan Dilian and one of the consortium’s managers, Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou.

Intellexa Consortium’s Predator software is sold to multiple governments around the world.Documents say they charge customers millions of dollars for their software published By Amnesty International in 2022.

The sanctions follow President Biden’s executive order last March banning the use of commercial spyware across the federal government.

“The United States remains committed to establishing clear guardrails for the responsible development and use of these technologies while ensuring protection of the human rights and civil liberties of individuals around the world,” Nelson said. said.