Ahead of a groundbreaking inaugural September 22 meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Department of State announced that Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands have endorsed the Joint Statement on Efforts to Counter the Proliferation and Misuse of Commercial Spyware. Global support for this initiative has expanded from an initial group of 11 partners to 21 since its launch as a Presidential Initiative at the second Summit for Democracy in March 2023. The Joint Statement is part of the broader United States International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy to advance digital solidarity by working closely with allies and partners to ensure digital technologies are used responsibly.
At the September 22 gathering—led by Deputy Assistant to the President Maher Bitar, Special Assistant Kelly Razzouk, Assistant Secretary of State Dafna Rand, Ambassador Chris Lu, and Coordinator for Digital Freedom Eileen Donahoe—member states discussed how to counter commercial spyware proliferation. This meeting builds on efforts led by the United States ahead of and at the third Summit for Democracy hosted by South Korea in March 2024. The United States highlighted recent actions it has taken:
On September 16, the Department of Treasury announced sanctions against five individuals and one entity associated with Intellexa Consortium for their role in developing and distributing commercial spyware technology that threatens U.S. national security.
On September 20, the Department of State announced steps to impose visa restrictions on multiple individuals involved in developing and selling commercial spyware. This is the second tranche of visa restrictions since Secretary Blinken announced this policy in February 2024.
On September 22, the Department of State committed $3 million in funding to support civil society advocacy against repressive misuse of spyware, capacity building for private sectors and academia, and assisting governments globally in developing regulations against commercial spyware misuse.
These actions demonstrate U.S. leadership in countering threats posed by commercial spyware proliferation and send a strong signal that those who misuse or enable misuse will face consequences.
Looking ahead, on October 8, the Department of State will host its first Human Rights Council side event focused on commercial spyware. The event will bring together governments, civil society experts, and journalists targeted with spyware to discuss risks posed to journalism and protective measures. Later this fall, additional actions will be taken by the Department of Commerce related to its Entity List on problematic commercial spyware vendors.
The proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware transcend borders; thus multilateral action remains key. The growing coalition committed to regulating this industry aims to prevent refuge-seeking in jurisdictions with lax export policies or financial obfuscation.
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