Your Phone, and Encrypted Apps, Are Not Private

In late 2024, the Biden Administration entered into a contract with Paragon, a company founded in Israel, and now owned by a US firm. The $2m contract was put on hold pending a compliance review. What is Paragon? It’s a company that produces spyware which can be used to hack into any mobile phone – along with encrypted applications, such as Signal and WhatsApp.

The pause has now been lifted, and US immigration agents (i.e., ICE) will have access to it. Logic would also dictate it won’t be long until every government agency will eventually be granted access. I’ve said it before - if you think the digital world was created to make your life easier, guess again. While there are some benefits, the digital revolution was about tracking everything we do, for better or worse.

The software, called Graphite, can take control of any mobile phone, track an individual’s whereabouts, read their messages, look at their photographs, and open and read information held on encrypted applications. It can also be used as a listening device through the manipulation of the phone’s recorder.

No matter your opinion of ICE and deportation, such software is not good for privacy and individual rights. Contracts with other nation governments could even result in it being used against the US. Paragon claims that it only does business with democracies, however, they refuse to disclose who its clients are, or knowledge of how its clients use the technology against targets. They also claim they have a ‘no tolerance policy’ and will cut off government clients if they discover the spyware is used to target members of civil society.

To Paragon’s credit, last year they did cut off ties with Italy after discovering 90 people, including human rights activists who had been critical of Italy’s dealings with Libya, had been targeted by the Italian government.

Let’s do a reality check, though. Governments, especially ours, are the biggest spy organizations on the planet. Paragon is now a US company, which means government can punish it for not cowering to every whim it wishes to use the spyware. Naturally, spyware makers say their products are intended to be used to prevent crime and terrorist attacks.

While spyware is arguably a necessary evil to help protect our nation from those who may choose to do us harm, evidence of its abuse is rampant. I know what you’re thinking. You don’t do anything that the government cares about so they have no reason to spy on you. Now think about all the data centers being built. Also know it’s estimated that only 15% of data being stored is actively being used. They are recording everything.

How long until you don’t agree with the latest government dictator agenda, you make a verbal or written statement, and you become a target of government harassment?

Source used: the Guardian