Kudos to the U.S. government for taking an unambiguous stand against malicious software masquerading as security tools, shining a light on the private equity groups behind dubious technologies and encouraging a culture of transparency in public-private dialogue.

Click to read the referenced article: U.S. Government Takes Stand Against Commercial Spyware As Biden Signs Executive Order – The Organization for World Peace (theowp.org)

“The White House also warned that foreign governments are increasingly using commercial spyware to facilitate repression and enable human rights abuses; this includes using such technology to intimidate political opponents, curb dissent, restrict freedom of expression, and monitor and target activists and journalists. The abuse of such technology is not limited to authoritarian regimes, as even democratic governments have faced revelations that actors within their systems have used commercial spyware to target their citizens without proper legal authorization, safeguards, and oversight.

The ban on the use of commercial spyware by the American government sends a clear message to organizations like NSO that their behaviour will not be accepted and there will be repercussions for the abuse of such technology. This significant action conveys a strong message to other countries and corporations: the White House describes this executive order as a powerful and audacious initiative that will advance democratic technology and strengthen international cooperation on reforming surveillance technologies.”

(props also to Alessia Canuto of the The Organization for World Peace (OWP) for writing the article on Biden's Executive Order from March 27 that got buried into the maelstrom of nonsense that passes for news these days. See the White House's Fact Sheet in the comments)