President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that limits the use of commercial spyware by federal agencies.
According to Biden, commercial spyware poses a severe risk to U.S. government agencies.
- The executive order lists several scenarios where U.S. federal agencies would not purchase spyware.
- These scenarios are:
- The purchase of commercial spyware by a foreign government or person to target the U.S. government.
- A commercial spyware vendor that uses or discloses sensitive data obtained from the cyber surveillance tool without authorization and operates under the control of a foreign government that's engaged in espionage activities aimed at the U.S.,
- A foreign threat actor that uses commercial spyware against activists and dissidents with the goal of limiting freedom of expression or perpetrating human rights abuses.
- A foreign threat actor uses commercial spyware to spy on a U.S. citizen without legal authorization, safeguards, or oversight.
- The sales of commercial spyware to governments that have a record of engaging in systematic acts of political repression and other human rights violations.
- According to a statement by the White House, this executive order will limit the use of commercial spyware from foreign governments around the world to facilitate repression and enable human rights abuses, intimidate political opponents, limit freedom of expression, and monitor activists and journalists.
- Last week, it was reported that Artemis Seaford, a former security policy manager at Meta, had her phone hacked by Greece's national intelligence agency using the Predator spyware.
