Security News > 2023 > March > President Biden Signs Executive Order Restricting Use of Commercial Spyware

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order that restricts the use of commercial spyware by federal government agencies.

The order said the spyware ecosystem "Poses significant counterintelligence or security risks to the United States Government or significant risks of improper use by a foreign government or foreign person."

To that end, the order lays out the various criteria under which commercial spyware could be disqualified for use by U.S. government agencies.

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 that uses commercial spyware to keep tabs on a U.S. citizen without legal authorization, safeguards, and oversight, and.

The sales of commercial spyware to governments that have a record of engaging in systematic acts of political repression and other human rights violations.

It's not immediately not clear if other U.S. federal agencies currently use any commercial spyware.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2023/03/president-biden-signs-executive-order.html