WASHINGTON -

 A group of US Congress members is calling on the Treasury and State Departments to sanction the Israeli spyware company NSO Group and three other foreign companies they say have aided "authoritarian" regimes to commit human rights abuses.

The lawmakers called for sanctions against top managers at Israel's NSO, UAE's DarkMatter, and European surveillance technology firms Nexa Technologies and Trovicor.

Reports indicate that the Israeli company has facilitated the tracking of more than 1,000 people in more than 50 countries, including many heads of state, senior government officials and managers of major companies, in addition to 85 human rights activists and 189 journalists.


The company, for its part, claims that its program was only aimed at helping countries fight crime and terrorism.

Despite pressure from the Israeli government on behalf of the company, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted NSO because its software was found to be used to target US diplomats working at its embassy in Uganda.

punishment

Eighteen Democratic members of the Senate and House of Representatives have asked the Treasury and State Departments to freeze the bank accounts of company executives for helping authoritarian regimes commit human rights abuses.

The group, which includes influential members of Congress, such as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Senator Ron Wyden, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, asked the administration of President Joe Biden to impose financial sanctions on the Israeli spying company and a number of other surveillance companies, citing reports that they They helped authoritarian regimes commit human rights abuses.


“These surveillance mercenaries have sold their services to authoritarian regimes with long records of human rights abuses, giving tyrants extensive spying powers,” Senator Wyden said, adding that “those countries have used surveillance tools to imprison, torture and kill journalists and human rights defenders, and the Biden administration has an opportunity to turn off the tap.” US dollars and help put the company out of business for good.”

Senator Wyden vowed not to stop demanding accountability for these abuses, tweeting, "I call on the Biden administration to sanction hacking companies that have helped tyrants target activists, journalists, and political rivals. These companies must be held accountable for enabling human rights abusers by selling surveillance technology to authoritarian governments." .

I'm calling on the Biden to sanction hacking companies that helped tyrants target, criminal and political rivals.

These companies must be held accountable for enabling human rights abuses by selling surveillance technology to authoritarian governments.

https://t.co/veLxp37PfK

— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) December 15, 2021

sanctions

The company has come under increasing scrutiny since Amnesty International's exposure of its activities has compounded the ire of many members of Congress.

The US government's designation of the company as a "national security risk", and the subsequent ban on the import and sale of its spyware on US soil, was an important step that made it easier for more members of Congress to join in calling for the Biden administration to take further punitive measures.

Apart from government measures, several companies, led by Apple and Facebook, sued the company for violating the privacy of iPhone users and Facebook sites and applications.

In their letter to the Treasury and State Departments, Senators and Representatives demanded that the Israeli company be punished under the Magnitsky Sanctions Act, which would freeze bank accounts of the company's executives and ban travel to the United States.

The Democratic members' letter also stated that the toughness in punishing the company "would send a clear message to the surveillance and espionage technology industry that the US government is serious about imposing financial penalties on them if they violate the legal frameworks."


consequences

The inclusion by the US Department of Commerce of the Israeli company "NSO" - which developed the "Pegasus" spy program - on the list of banned companies as posing a threat to national security came as a big surprise to many observers.

On the other hand, cybersecurity expert John Scott Railton tweeted that "Global Magnitsky Act sanctions will have an immediate financial impact on NSO and its executives, bank accounts will be frozen, and travel to the US will be banned."

2/ Global Magnitsky Act sanctions would have immediate financial impact on NSO & it's executives.

Bank accounts would be frozen.

Travel to US blocked.

pic.twitter.com/KcXO8XeF5e

— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) December 15, 2021

The prospect of sanctions under the Magnitsky Act will have immediate consequences for the company's future, immediately affect any future selling plans, and reduce interest in acquiring it.

Moreover, the sanctions imposed on the company's directors will follow wherever they go, even if the company tries to change its name and restructure under new names.

At the same time, reports indicated that the company ran out of funds after being banned by the US government, and that it is currently facing the risk of defaulting on its debts, which led the company to begin the process of exploring options to put itself for sale.

Two US financial funds have expressed interest in buying the company, claiming that they will change the company's mission from offensive to defensive, although experts are skeptical.