Israeli spyware company NSO Group placed on US blacklist https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/03/nso-group-pegasus-spyware-us-blacklist 3 Nov 2021
Decision against company at heart of Pegasus project reflects deep concern about impact of spyware on US national security interests.
“Today’s action is a part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to put human rights at the center of US foreign policy, including by working to stem the proliferation of digital tools used for repression,” the commerce department said in a statement.
In effect, it means that NSO will be barred from buying parts and components from US companies without a special licence. It also puts a cloud over the sale of the company’s software globally, including in the US.
The commerce department said that “investigative information” had shown NSO and another Israeli surveillance company called Candiru had developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments that used this tool to “maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers”.