US announces new restrictions to curb global spyware industry

State department policy will allow US to impose visa restrictions on individuals involved in misuse of spyware

The US said it will impose global visa restrictions on individuals who have been involved in the misuse of commercial spyware, in a move that could impact major US allies including Israel, India, Jordan and Hungary.

The new policy, unveiled on Monday, underscores how the Biden administration continues to see the proliferation of weapons-grade commercial spyware - which has been used by governments around the world against hundreds of political dissidents, human rights advocates, journalists and lawyers - as a major threat to US national security and counterintelligence capabilities.