TechCrunch
Spyware makers express concern after US sanctions spyware veteran
Earlier this week, the U.S. government announced sanctions against the founder of a controversial government spyware maker, Tal Dilian, and his business associate, Sara Aleksandra Fayssal Hamou. In announcing the sanctions, U.S. Treasury officials accused Dilian and Hamou of developing and selling spyware that was then used to target Americans, including U.S. government employees, as well as policy experts and journalists — actions that enabled human rights violations around the world. Until now, the U.S. government had targeted spyware companies — not the individuals who head them — putting them on blocklists and imposing sanctions that prevent any U.S. person or company from financing or transacting with them.
