The US government will impose visa restrictions on foreigners engaged in “misuse of commercial spyware” under its new policy, said a press statement issued by US secretary Antony Blinken. 

The visa restriction policy under the country’s Immigration and National Act will allow the US government to impose visa restrictions on those using spyware to target, surveil or harass persons, including “journalists, activists, persons perceived as dissidents, members of marginalised communities”, or their families. It may also apply to those extracting financial benefit from the misuse of spyware.

The statement said the US is concerned with the increasing misuse of commercial spyware “to facilitate repression, restrict the free flow of information, and enable human rights abuses”. It said the misuse of spyware threatens “privacy and freedoms of expression” and is linked to “arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings”.

“Additionally, the misuse of these tools presents a security and counterintelligence threat to US personnel,” Blinken said in the statement, adding that the US “stands on the side of human rights and fundamental freedoms”.

The US government had previously issued an executive order restricting its government’s use of commercial spyware “that poses risks to national security”. The order required the head of any US agency using the spyware to certify that it did not pose a security risk. 

Newslaundry had earlier reported that India’s domestic spy agency had bought NSO hardware that matched the specifications of Pegasus, a spyware, which was purportedly used by governments of several countries to spy on journalists, politicians and activists. Read here. 

This report is published using AI assistance.