September 16, 2024 at 12:36PM
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on five executives and one entity associated with the Intellexa Consortium for developing and distributing Predator commercial spyware. This spyware, used by state-sponsored actors and governments, allowed access to sensitive information on victims’ smartphones. The sanctions aim to deter the misuse of technologies that undermine national security and human rights.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has recently announced sanctions against several individuals and entities associated with the Intellexa Consortium for their involvement in the development and distribution of commercial spyware known as Predator. The spyware has been used for intrusive activities, including accessing sensitive information on victims’ smartphones, targeting government officials, journalists, policy experts, tech executives, and opposition politicians worldwide.
The new sanctions announced on Monday target five executives and one entity linked to the Intellexa Consortium. This includes individuals such as Felix Bitzios, Andrea Nicola Constantino Hermes Gambazzi, Merom Harpaz, Panagiota Karaol, Artemis Artemiou, and the entity Aliada GroupInc. These sanctions were imposed to address the misuse of technologies that undermine national security, perpetrate human rights abuses, and undermine freedom of expression.
The Intellexa Consortium, founded by Tal Jonathan Dilian, has been previously sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This action is part of the broader effort by the U.S. government to address the misuse of commercial spyware technology. Additionally, the State Department has implemented a new visa restriction policy to ban those linked to commercial spyware from entering the United States.
Furthermore, the Department of Commerce has added Intellexa commercial spyware vendors to its Entity List, citing risks to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. This designation carries significant legal and financial consequences, including the freezing of U.S.-based assets linked to the sanctioned individuals and entities, as well as prohibiting U.S.-based individuals and companies from engaging in any transactions with them.