Today, the United States government placed additional spyware companies on its Entity List for engaging in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the U.S.
With the move, the companies — Intellexa S.A. in Greece, Intellexa Limited in Ireland, Cytrox AD in North Macedonia, and Cytrox Holdings in Hungary — are now effectively blocked from doing business with U.S. companies. The firms were implicated in cases of spying against journalists and opposition politicians, and civil society reporting played a role in the decision.
The inclusion of these spyware companies in the U.S. government’s Entity List is a major victory for digital rights advocates and at-risk people around the world. For too long spyware companies have evaded accountability for their involvement in human rights violations. Access Now applauds the Biden administration for this bold step, which should put all spyware vendors and potential investors on notice that there will be a price to pay for the abuse of technology.Michael De Dora, U.S. Policy and Advocacy Manager
The announcement comes about a year-and-a-half after the U.S. added spyware firms NSO Group and Candiru to its Entity List. Access Now has continually urged U.S. policymakers to take aggressive action against spyware companies, including through use of the Entity List and targeted sanctions.