US to adopt new restrictions on using commercial spyware

The US government will restrict its use of commercial spyware tools that have been used to surveil human rights activists, journalists and dissidents around the world, under an executive order issued Monday, Oct. 27, 2023, by President Joe Biden. — AP

WASHINGTON: The US government will restrict its use of commercial spyware tools that have been used to surveil human rights activists, journalists and dissidents around the world, under an executive order issued on March 27 by US President Joe Biden.

The order responds to growing US and global concerns about programs that can capture text messages and other cellphone data. Some programs – so-called “zero-click” exploits – can infect a phone without the user clicking on a malicious link.