Lawmakers warn that ICE's access to Graphite spyware risks freedom of movement, freedom of speech, and right to privacy
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Paragon Solutions is an Israeli cyber-surveillance company founded in 2019 by former senior members of Israel’s intelligence and defense technology community. It emerged at a time when the global spyware market was under scrutiny, particularly after revelations of widespread abuses involving tools like NSO Group’s Pegasus. Paragon began to market itself as a “more responsible” alternative, claiming it would only sell to democratic governments and promising stronger human-rights safeguards. Its flagship product, Graphite, is a spyware tool reportedly capable of remotely infiltrating smartphones, extracting encrypted data, activating microphones and cameras, and tracking individuals in real time. Despite Paragon’s claims of ethical restraint, civil society experts from Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and others have documented cases of when the spyware has allegedly been weaponized against activists and journalists in democratic countries.
By 2024, Paragon’s Graphite spyware was linked to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. According to multiple sources, AE Industrial Partners (a U.S.-based private equity firm) acquired Paragon Solutions in December 2024 and then merged it with REDLattice, a Virginia‑based cybersecurity firm.
In October 2025, federal lawmakers sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) demanding information on any plans ICE has to use Graphite against people living, working and traveling in the USA. They have asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to provide “a comprehensive list of data surveillance targets and ICE’s strategy for deploying spyware or mass data surveillance within the United States.” The prospect of ICE using spyware raises serious "constitutional, national security, and civil liberty concerns," according to the lawmakers.
On 30 October 2025, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre contacted REDLattice and AE Industrial Partners for more information about how they are working to address these concerns. Neither the spyware company nor the affiliated investor responded.