United States: The United States President Mr. Joe Biden has signed an executive order that restricts the government’s use of commercial spyware technology used to target political dissent around the globe.

The move comes more than a year after the US administration imposed sanctions on the Israeli spyware manufacturer NSO Group, which has been at the forefront of global discussions of spyware abuse. Its Pegasus software has been accused of allowing the surveillance of hundreds of political figures, journalists, and human rights advocates.

“Misuse of these powerful surveillance tools has not been limited to authoritarian regimes,” the White House remarked in a statement.

“Democratic governments also have confronted revelations that actors within their systems have used commercial spyware to target their citizens without proper legal authorization, safeguards, or oversight,” the statement added.

The move comes as the US prepares to host a “summit for democracy” soon. The order includes exceptions for government agencies to use spyware programs if the agency head confirms that the software does not pose a counterintelligence or national security risk.

Furthermore, the decision does not apply to spyware created by government institutions such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

However, human rights groups have warned that commercial spyware has made surveillance tools more widely available. Countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have been accused of using the software to target journalists and human rights groups.

The White House further confirmed that US government personnel abroad “have been targeted by commercial spyware” without providing details.

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