US blacklisting of NSO Group shows view of major technology company as a grave threat

Analysis: The question now is what effect the US move will have on Israel and on foreign governments who use NSO's spyware

The US commerce department's blacklist is usually reserved for America's worst enemies, such as Chinese companies that have been accused of aiding human right abuses, and Russians who proliferate biological and chemical weapons programmes.

But on Wednesday, Israel's NSO Group joined their ranks, marking a rare decision by the Biden administration to include a major technology company that is closely regulated by the Israeli government on its list of entities that threaten US national security.