The Biden administration announced a new policy on Monday that will allow it to impose visa restrictions on foreign individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware. The policy will target those who have used spyware to target journalists, activists, dissidents, marginalized communities, or their family members. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the misuse of commercial spyware threatens privacy, freedom of expression, and human rights.
This policy comes nearly a year after Biden issued an executive order restricting the U.S. government’s use of commercial spyware that poses national security risks. The White House acknowledged a surge in hacks of U.S. government employees targeted by commercial spyware and has blacklisted the NSO Group, a company known for its spyware software.
The visa restrictions can apply to citizens of any country found to have misused spyware. While the names of impacted individuals will not be publicly disclosed, experts see this policy as a step towards accountability and hope that other countries will follow the U.S.’s lead in regulating the spyware industry.
Commercial spyware has been widely abused in countries like the Middle East and Mexico, posing a threat to journalists, lawyers, and political activists. The best known spyware, NSO Group’s Pegasus, has been used to target individuals in more than 50 countries. The Biden administration banned U.S. companies from supplying technology to NSO Group and Apple has sued the company for its alleged misuse of spyware.
The misuse of commercial spyware has raised concerns about privacy and human rights abuses globally. The new visa restrictions aim to deter individuals and companies from engaging in the harmful use of spyware, setting a precedent for other countries to follow suit.
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