Ethical Hacking News
The use of Israeli spyware by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has raised concerns among human rights organizations and critics. The agency's decision to sign a $2 million contract with Paragon, an Israeli spyware firm, has sparked fears that it will be used for domestic repression. As the Trump administration ramps up its policy of mass deportations and ICE raids, the use of spyware by ICE is becoming increasingly worrying.
ICE has been accused of using excessive force to deport immigrants. ICE plans to monitor social media accounts for "anti-Semitism" to purge critics of Israeli government actions in Gaza. ICE is buying planes dedicated to deportation efforts, expanding its enforcement capabilities. The use of Israeli spyware by ICE has been linked to human rights abuses in other countries. ICE signed a $2 million contract with Paragon, an Israeli spyware firm, despite concerns over the technology's use. The contract was blocked due to compliance issues but is now active after being sold to a private equity firm. Critics warn that ICE may use spyware to target immigrants based on their political beliefs, threatening individual freedoms.
The use of Israeli spyware by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been a topic of increasing concern in recent weeks. The agency, which is responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the United States, has been in the midst of a particularly large crackdown on immigrants, with many critics accusing it of using excessive force to deport individuals.
The controversy surrounding ICE's use of spyware began in April, when the Department of Homeland Security announced that it would start monitoring the social media accounts of immigrants for "anti-Semitism" in an effort to purge immigrants who criticize the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. This move was widely criticized by human rights organizations, which argued that it constituted a form of censorship and targeted individuals based on their political beliefs.
In August, ICE announced that it wanted to buy planes dedicated to deportation efforts, a highly unusual move for the agency. The announcement came as part of a broader effort to expand ICE's enforcement capabilities, with many critics accusing the agency of using aggressive tactics to target immigrants.
The use of Israeli spyware by ICE is particularly concerning because it has been linked to human rights abuses in other countries. In 2024, WhatsApp won a lawsuit against NSO Group, another Israeli spyware company, after NSO Group installed malware on the phones of more than a thousand diplomats, human rights activists, attorneys, journalists and more. The lawsuit was part of a larger effort by governments around the world to use commercial spyware to target individuals based on their political beliefs.
In this context, ICE's decision to sign a $2 million contract with Paragon, an Israeli spyware firm, is particularly worrying. Paragon's technology has been linked to human rights abuses in other countries, including the use of its spyware to target journalists and migrant rights activists. The company's products draw criticism from human rights organizations for their use against individuals who are trying to exercise their right to freedom of expression.
The contract between ICE and Paragon was blocked by a compliance review until it could be determined whether it adhered to an executive order signed by President Biden in 2023 that restricts government use of commercial spyware. However, the Israeli spyware maker has been bought by Florida-based private equity firm AE Industrial Partners in a $500 million deal. The pause on this deal is now lifted, according to public procurement documents.
The news comes as the Trump administration ramps up its policy of mass deportations and ICE raids, after the President vowed to enact the "largest deportation" in U.S. history on the campaign trail. Critics were swift to follow the news, with many accusing the administration of using spyware to target immigrants based on their political beliefs.
"This technology has been misused by other governments around the world to target human rights defenders and political dissidents alike," said Michael De Dora, U.S. policy manager for digital rights group Access Now. "Americans should be deeply concerned about how the administration could use this new tool for the purposes of domestic repression, and the administration should be very careful too."
Neither Paragon nor ICE responded to a request for comment from Gizmodo.
The move is part of a broader trend in which Silicon Valley's deep-pocketed executives are increasingly wielding influence in California politics and beyond. The controversy surrounding ICE's use of spyware has highlighted the need for greater transparency and accountability in government, particularly when it comes to issues related to national security and individual freedoms.
As the use of spyware by ICE continues to raise concerns among human rights organizations and critics, it is essential that policymakers take steps to ensure that such technology is used responsibly and with caution. The consequences of using spyware for domestic repression are too great to be ignored, and it is imperative that governments prioritize transparency, accountability, and the protection of individual freedoms.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Use-of-Israeli-Spyware-by-Immigration-and-Customs-Enforcement-ICE-Under-Trump-Administration-ehn.shtml
https://gizmodo.com/ice-israeli-spyware-2000652966
Published: Thu Sep 4 06:18:07 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
