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US lawmakers call for sanctions against Israel's NSO, other spyware firms

Middle East

15-12-2021 | 02:16

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US lawmakers call for sanctions against Israel's NSO, other spyware firms

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A group of U.S. lawmakers is asking the Treasury Department and State Department to sanction Israeli spyware firm NSO Group and three other foreign surveillance companies they say helped authoritarian governments commit human rights abuses.

Their letter sent late Tuesday and seen by Reuters also asks for sanctions on top executives at NSO, the United Arab Emirates cybersecurity company DarkMatter, and European online bulk surveillance companies Nexa Technologies and Trovicor.

The lawmakers asked for Global Magnitsky sanctions, which punish those who are accused of enabling human rights abuses by freezing bank accounts and banning travel to the United States.

DarkMatter could not be reached for comment. The other three companies did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The letter was signed by the Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and 16 other Democratic lawmakers. Along with other reporting on the industry, they cite a recent Reuters article this month showing that NSO spyware was used against State Department employees in Uganda.

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