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Spyware makers express concern after US sanctions spyware veteran


After the U.S. government sanctioned a spyware veteran, people who used to work in the spyware industry say they are worried they could be next.

In announcing the sanctions, U.S. Treasury officials accused Dilian and Hamou of developing and selling spyware that was then used to target Americans, including U.S. government employees, as well as policy experts, and journalists — actions that enabled human rights violations around the world. The person, who like others quoted in this story spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that he was concerned, but at the same time he was confident his former company followed regulations and did things the right way, unlike Dilian, the founder of Intellexa, which the Treasury also sanctioned. Prior to this in 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce added to its blocklist NSO Group, an Israel-based spyware maker whose tools have been documented to have been used against journalists, politicians, dissidents, and human rights defenders in several countries like Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Spain.

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