The Trump administration is giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to
spyware that is considered one of the most powerful hacking tools and cyber-weapons on the planet. Graphite, a malware tool by Israeli-based company Paragon Solutions, allows governments to
monitor and take control of civilians' phones - with the ability to read messages, photos, documents, and location data, and covertly turn on microphones and cameras.The worst part is: ICE doesn't even need physical access to your phone in order to do this. This tool can actually allow ICE to invade and hack your phone no matter where you (or your device) are.
Sign the petition to demand that Congress immediately pass legislation to block the use of this cyber-weapon against civilians!Paragon was previously in the news after the
Italian government was caught using it to target journalists, humanitarian organizers, and political dissidents. Not only has there already been precedent for governments using this tool and maliciously turning it against its own people - but additionally, since this tool was created outside of the U.S.,
there's no guarantee it won't sell the data it accesses to hostile governments elsewhere. This could create a huge security risk, not only for individuals within the U.S., but even for the U.S. as a whole.
Two years ago, then-President Joe Biden had sought to prevent a situation as dire as this one. Though ICE has never been a friend to civilians, Biden at the very least signed an executive order to create limits around how the U.S. government could utilize spyware, to prevent "improper use" and "security risks." But now, even those meagre constraints are being ignored.
This is a dangerous escalation of ICE's authority and its ability to track, surveil, and target people in the U.S. ICE has already become well-known for ignoring due process, snatching people off the streets while wearing masks and hiding their identification, and human rights infringements. This is absolutely not an agency that can be trusted with this level of power, or such an insidious weapon.
Congress absolutely must act now, before this leads to even worse civil rights abuses. The Trump administration has set the conditions for truly terrifying levels of privacy violations. Congress must do its duty and set limits on the executive branch, now. Sign the petition!