Date:

31 Jul 2023

Content Type:

Article

A contractor named Riva Networks completed a deal with the Israeli hacking firm NSO to acquire the spying tool known as Landmark. The FBI, which was put in charge of investigating which government agency had used NSO tools, discovered in July 2023 that they had actually used Landmark to track people in Mexico through a contract with Riva Networks. Despite NSO being blacklisted by the Biden administration, it continued to profit from US government contracts, raising questions about the oversight and involvement of other government agencies in the operation.

Date:

31 May 2023

Content Type:

Article

Cyberweapon manufacturers plot to stay on the right side of the United States government. Contrasting fates of Israeli spyware-makers Paragon and NSO reveal how American support is crucial for the technology's development.

Date:

2 Apr 2023

Content Type:

Article

A secret contract between the NSO Group and the US government was signed in November 2021. Payments continue despite the recent Executive Order prohibiting the US federal government from contracting companies that have been affiliated with spyware abuse.

Date:

31 Mar 2023

Content Type:

Article

After the 2023 Summit for Democracy, the governments of Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States published a joint statement committing to establish robust guardrails and procedures to ensure that any commercial spyware use by the government is consistent with respect for universal human rights, the rule of law, and civil rights and civil liberties. They also committed to preventing the export of software, technology, and equipment to end-users who are likely to use them for malicious cyber activity.

Date:

28 Mar 2023

Content Type:

Article

President Biden has issued an executive order barring all US federal agencies from using foreign or domestic commercial spyware that presents risks to national security or has been misused by foreign actors for human rights abuses. The order was announced on the same day 45 civil society organizations urged world leaders and tech investors to protect people from spyware.

Date:

27 Mar 2023

Content Type:

Article

During the 2023 Summit for Democracy, the United States government issued an executive order limiting the federal government's use of commercial spyware and calling for human rights considerations (both domestic and abroad) to contracting and deploying spyware technologies.

Date:

27 Mar 2023

Content Type:

Article

CSOs call on states to urgently address human rights abuses linked to spyware and remind states about the responsibilities of investors (in alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights).