US Lawmakers Call For Sanctions Against Israel's NSO, Spyware Firms

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. From a report: 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 punishes 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. The lawmakers said the spyware industry relies on U.S. investment and banks. "To meaningfully punish them and send a clear signal to the surveillance technology industry, the U.S. government should deploy financial sanctions," they wrote.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Its not anti semetic to criticise Israel, thats just a pathetic piece of hasbara propaganda crap. Fuck off you lying cunt.

Huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

What the hell is this smut? All that land was illegally stolen from the Jewish Nation by Islam. If anything the Islamic world should be making reparations and giving back the land, and reconverting to proper Judaism to repent for their crimes.

Re: How about sanctions until Palestine is free?

[zkiwi34]

Free from what? Islam?

Re:

[ikhider]

Jackboots probably said the same things about Judaism in the Warsaw Ghettos. Freedom against tyranny and oppression for all peoples, Palestinians included.

Not likely to happen

[alvinrod]

This is unlikely to go anywhere. I'm willing to bet US agencies at some level do business with these companies as well. The depressing part is that the complaint is that these tools were used against the government and not that our government will employ these same tools (perhaps even occasionally from these same companies) against its own citizens.

Re:Not likely to happen

[ikhider]

Israel is used as a proxy state when the US gov does not want to directly get their hands dirty. Israel will deal with South American dictators or despots anywhere, on behalf of the US. Read this book, it is highly enlightening. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] By the way, most companies like HP do direct business with Israel, while other companies like Intel (manufacturing on occupied land designated for Palestinians in UN resolution 242) and Sodastream are Israeli.

Uh...

[Richard_at_work]

Meanwhile the US is best friends with countries like Saudi Arabia, even going to lengths such as selling them modern military equipment and ordnance, which they then use to violently suppress human rights of people in their own countries and countries around them.

Fucking hypocrites.

Re:

[ikhider]

This is a logical fallacy known as a red herring. Jane hits Terry and when caught she yells, "Kate did it too!" Because other places violate human rights does not give Israel the green light to do as they please.

Re:

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

Fair enough. But when gigantic orgs and nations tell you to focus on Israel, and not them, something is up.

Did you miss that bit in psych 101 where dictators use the tool of focusing your attention on the tiny other group, so as to divert the population's attentions from themselves?

Re:Uh...

[Richard_at_work]

It might be a "logical fallacy" but its still entirely valid and I refuse to be silenced because you put a label on my post.

Just because you dont like it to be brought up, doesn't mean its not good to bring it up - the US loves to support countries around the world which abuse human rights, while simultaneously with a straight face decrying others for exactly the same shit.

And its all because the US likes that country and dislikes that other country. Thats it.

Which is something that definitely is worth bringing up in any discussion like this. Suck it.

Re:

[Deal In One]

I don't think it's a matter of US liking or not liking the country as a whole.

It's a matter of the US liking that country's government for whatever benefits the US gets.

If tomorrow Saudi's government is overthrown by a revolution(maybe an Arab Spring sort of thing, by the locals, or maybe Iranian backed, or something else), I don't expect the US government to "like" Saudi.

Majority of the world may think that country's government is bad, but if the US sees an advantage, they will be friendly. So many example

Re:Uh...

[ArchieBunker]

16 out of 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals. We bomb and invade Afghanistan for two decades instead. Didn't learn a thing from when Russia tried it in the 1980s.

lol

[Rayfield k.]

They will just screech about anti-semitism and nothing will happen.

Re:

[ikhider]

Maybe the bad guy needs to stop doing bad things. Simple as that.

They should change their name like Facebook did

[schwit1]

I hear Blackwater is available.

18 US lawmakers, or ~3.7% of US Congress

[misnohmer]

The group the article talks about consists of 18 lawmakers, out 535 voting members of Congress. I guess a headline saying "3.7% of lawmakers call for ..." would not get as many clicks, right?

Re:

[Orphic_Egg]

Not to mention that the stench of Schiff is all over this.