Privacy advocates and civil rights groups are expressing alarm over potential policy shifts regarding government surveillance technology under the current administration.
Concerns center around possible changes to existing restrictions on commercial spyware companies, particularly those that develop sophisticated surveillance tools capable of remotely infiltrating mobile devices.
Critics fear the administration may be influenced to remove limitations previously placed on NSO Group, an Israeli firm that produces Pegasus spyware. Security researchers indicate this powerful surveillance software can transform smartphones into covert recording equipment while also gaining access to stored data.
Those opposed to commercial spyware technology, which enables remote phone infiltration, are troubled that the administration appears to be weakening policies that previously discouraged the commercial surveillance industry.
