US government using Israeli spyware designed for breaking into phones
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has purchased access to Graphite, a powerful Israeli spyware tool that can break into phones and encrypted apps.
The $2 million contract with Paragon Solutions was first signed under Biden in late 2024, paused, then revived this year after a compliance review.
Concerns over privacy and potential misuse of Graphite
Graphite's use by ICE is raising eyebrows over privacy and possible misuse.
Paragon Solutions—now owned by a US company—insists it only works with democracies and has strict rules against abuse.
Still, critics point out that similar tools have been misused before to target journalists and activists.
As John Scott-Railton from Citizen Lab puts it, these kinds of tools "were designed for dictatorships, not democracies built on liberty and protection of individual rights."