"US Imposes Sanctions on Spyware Makers Targeting Americans"
The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on Intellexa, a company known for developing spyware software called Predator, which can covertly take control of smartphones and turn them into surveillance devices. This marks the most aggressive action taken by the U.S. government against a spyware company and follows President Joe Biden’s executive order regulating commercial spyware. The sanctions prohibit Americans and those doing business with the U.S. from transacting with Intellexa and its affiliates. The move comes after reports of Predator being used to target journalists, human rights workers, and political figures, including members of Congress, and follows similar actions against the Israeli company NSO Group.