The US government on Tuesday announced sanctions against the founder of the notorious spyware company Intellexa and one of his business partners. From the report: This is the first time that the U.S. government has targeted specific individuals in addition to companies with sanctions related to the misuse of commercial spyware. And this means an intensification of efforts by the White House and the US government to rein in the spyware industry. Brian E. Nelson, the U.S. Treasury Department's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said: “Today's action is concrete progress in stopping the misuse of commercial surveillance tools that increase security risks to the United States and its people. “We will show you that,” he said. As stated in the press release.
“The United States remains committed to establishing clear guardrails for the responsible development and use of these technologies, while ensuring the protection of the human rights and civil liberties of individuals around the world.” U.S. Treasury The Ministry imposed sanctions on Intellexa founder and spyware industry veteran Tal Dilian. And Sarah Alexandra Faisal Hamou, who is less famous than Dillian. According to the Treasury Department, Hamou held a leadership role at Intellexa, was an expert in offshoring, and provided management services to the company, including renting office space in Greece.