The Trump (R) Administration appears to have Unfroze a Stalled $2 million Biden (D) Contract with Paragon Solutions (U.S.) Inc., a Spyware Company founded in Israel, whose Products have been Accused of Facilitating the Surveillance of Journalists and Activists.
On Saturday, a Public Procurement Database showed that a Stop Work Order on the September 2024 Deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been Lifted.
The Deal does Not specify what ICE will be getting as part of the Deal, beyond describing an Agreement for a “fully configured proprietary solution including license, hardware, warranty, maintenance, and training.”
The Initial Deal was Paused in October 2024, to Review whether it Complied with a March 2023 Biden Administration Executive Order, Limiting the use of Commercial Spyware that could pose Counterintelligence Risks to the U.S. or that might be Improperly used by a Foreign Government.
Critics Warned of potential Risks from the U.S. engaging with Paragon, whose Graphite Program can quietly Invade the Mobile Phone of its Target and Extract its Contents, Primarily through Accessing Cloud Backup Data.
“Invasive, secret hacking power is corrupting,” John Scott-Railton, a Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which has Probed the Foreign use of Paragon Products said. “That’s why there’s a growing pile of spyware scandals in democracies, including with Paragon’s Graphite.”
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has previously used Graphite against Drug Traffickers Outside the U.S.,
Paragon was founded by Ehud Schneorson, a former Commander of Israel’s Cyber-Spying Unit 8200. In late 2024, AE Industrial Partners, a Florida-based Investment Group, acquired the Company for $500 million.
Paragon bills itself as an Ethical Cyber Firm, that only Sells to the U.S. and other Allied Countries.
The Trump Administration has pursued other Aggressive Intelligence Methods, as part of its Immigration-related Operations, including Social Media Surveillance for “anti-American” Activity and combing through massive amounts of usually Walled-Off Government housing Data to find Migrants.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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