The U.S. Department of State announced on Monday that it is imposing visa restrictions on 13 individuals linked to the misuse of commercial spyware. These individuals, who are either directly involved in the development and sale of such spyware or are immediate family members of those who are, have allegedly targeted a wide range of individuals, including journalists, academics, human rights defenders, dissidents, and U.S. Government personnel.
The Department has not disclosed the names of those subjected to these visa restrictions. This move comes two months after the U.S. government announced a new policy that enforces visa constraints on individuals engaging in practices that could threaten privacy and freedom of expression.
The policy aims to counter the misuse and proliferation of commercial spyware, which has been used by authoritarian governments to spy on civil society members. It also seeks to promote accountability for those involved in such practices.
This development was reported as Israeli publication Haaretz revealed that Intellexa presented a proof-of-concept system in 2022 called Aladdin. This system enabled the planting of phone spyware through online ads. The U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Intellexa Consortium last month for developing, operating, and distributing commercial spyware designed to target government officials, journalists, and policy experts.
But it's not just spyware that's causing concern. Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky recently reported that the number of unique users affected by stalkerware rose to 31,031 in 2023, up from 29,312 the previous year. The majority of these users are located in Russia, Brazil, and India – a dubious distinction held by these three countries since 2019.
Kaspersky defines stalkerware as products that are often marketed as legitimate anti-theft or parental control apps. However, they are installed without the knowledge or consent of the person being tracked and operate stealthily, providing the perpetrator with the means to control a victim's life.
