S.T.O.P. Condemns Secret NSO Contract, Says Biden Spyware Order Is A ‘Sham’

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Condemns Secret NSO Contract, Says Biden Spyware Order Is A ‘Sham’ Yesterday, the New York Times revealed a secret government contract with the Israeli hacking firm NSO Group, contradicting Biden’s executive order banning such spyware. (New York, NY, 4/3/2023) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, condemned the federal government for secretly contracting with the Israeli hacking firm NSO group, claiming it made President Biden’s executive order on spyware a “sham.” The 2021contract (which was first reported by the New York Times) was completed just five days after the Biden administration announced it would take action against NSO Group and place it on a commerce department blacklist. An unidentified federal agency entered into the contract through a front company, and the contract appears to still be active. SEE: N.Y. Times - A Front Company and a Fake Identity: How the U.S. Came to Use Spyware It Was Trying to Kill. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/us/politics/nso-contract-us-spy.html   “What good is an executive order if agencies ignore it?” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “The President was right to label NSO as a threat to Americans privacy and our national security, so why is the U.S. government still giving them money? More importantly, why are we continuing to fuel the growth of spyware technologies from other vendors here at home? Federal, state, and local law enforcement continue to have access to powerful tools to compromise our devices. This contract shows why we need a full ban.” The civil rights group previously denounced the NSO Group’s sale of spyware used to target journalists and activists. S.T.O.P. noted that state-sponsored spyware can be even more of a threat to the public than illicit use of ransomware. The organization also noted that spyware wasn’t just a threat to targeted individuals, but could also endanger democracy itself. SEE: S.T.O.P. Condemns NSO Group Spyware Targeting Journalists, Activists, Calls For U.S. Ban https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2021/7/19/stop-condemns-nso-group-spyware-targeting-journalists-activists-calls-for-us-ban Fast Company: Your phone is watching you: Why NSO Group’s spyware is such a big threat to democracy https://www.fastcompany.com/90658784/nso-group-pegasus-spyware-democracy The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   - END – CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn.   Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.