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ICE Signs $2 Million Contract With Spyware Maker Paragon Solutions
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s one-year contract with Paragon’s US subsidiary comes amid the Biden administration’s years-long crackdown on commercial spyware vendors.
Paragon was founded in 2019 by veterans from the Israel Defense Forces’ powerful intelligence Unit 8200 with the active involvement of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak as an investor who is estimated to own a sizable slice of the company. When a senior US administration official was asked specifically about potential abuses of Paragon’s flagship product, they said that the executive order “requires the heads of agencies to review any activity that might be relevant,” without excluding the possibility of lawful use. In the US, Paragon boosted its presence in the wake of the signing of the executive order and started hiring intelligence veterans, including former CIA and FBI officers at its subsidiary, “hoping it would pick up new business.” Fresh reports from February 2024 confirmed the steady growth.
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