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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 28 March 2023

U.S. to adopt new restrictions on using commercial spyware

By NOMAAN MERCHANT searcher at the University of
Associated Press Toronto’s Citizen Lab who
WASHINGTON (AP) — The has long studied spyware,
U.S. government will restrict credited the Biden admin-
its use of commercial spy- istration for trying to set new
ware tools that have been global standards for the in-
used to surveil human rights dustry.
activists, journalists and dis- “Most spyware companies
sidents around the world, see selling to the U.S. as
under an executive order their eventual exit path,”
issued Monday by Presi- Scott-Railton said.
dent Joe Biden. “The issue is the U.S. until
The order responds to now hasn’t really wielded
growing U.S. and global its purchasing power to
concerns about programs push the industry to do bet-
that can capture text mes- ter.”
sages and other cellphone Congress last year required
data. U.S. intelligence agencies
Some programs so-called to investigate foreign use
“zero-click” exploits can of spyware and gave the
infect a phone without the Office of the Director of
user clicking on a malicious National Intelligence the
link. power to ban any agency
Governments around the House Select Committee on Intelligence ranking member Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn speaks during from using commercial pro-
world including the U.S. the committee’s annual open hearing on worldwide threats, at the Capitol in Washington, March grams.
are known to collect large 9, 2023. Associated Press Rep. Jim Himes of Con-
amounts of data for intel- necticut, the top Democrat
ligence and law enforce- for democracy this week. The order will require the dissidents. on the House Intelligence
ment purposes, including The order “demonstrates head of any U.S. agency us- “It is intended to be a high Committee, said in a com-
communications from their the United States’ leader- ing commercial programs bar but also includes reme- mittee hearing last year
own citizens. ship in, and commitment to certify that the program dial steps that can be taken that commercial spyware
The proliferation of com- to, advancing technology doesn’t pose a significant ... in which a company may posed a “very serious threat
mercial spyware has made for democracy, including counterintelligence or oth- argue that their tool has not to our democracy and to
powerful tools newly avail- by countering the misuse of er security risk, a senior ad- been misused,” said the of- democracies around the
able to smaller countries, commercial spyware and ministration official said. ficial, who briefed reporters world.” He said Monday
but also created what other surveillance technol- Among the factors that will on condition of anonymity the new order should be
researchers and human- ogy,” the White House said be used to determine the under White House ground followed by other democ-
rights activists warn are op- in a statement. level of security risk is if a rules. racies taking steps against
portunities for abuse and Biden’s order, billed as a foreign actor has used the The White House will not spyware.
repression. prohibition on using com- program to monitor U.S. publish a list of banned pro- “It’s a very powerful state-
The White House released mercial spyware “that pos- citizens without legal au- grams as part of the execu- ment and a good tool, but
the executive order in ad- es risks to national security,” thorization or surveil human tive order, the official said. alone it won’t do the trick,”
vance of its second summit allows for some exceptions. rights activists and other John Scott-Railton, a re- he said.q

More relatives of Colorado shooting victims sue Sturm Ruger

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Both lawsuits accuse Sturm, sembles a rifle, in a “reck- capability and glorified ing that killed 20 children
More relatives of people Ruger & Co. of marketing less” and “immoral” way lone gunmen. The lawsuits, and six educators. That
shot to death at a Colo- its AR-556 pistol, which re- that promoted its killing which seek undisclosed lawsuit led to a $73 million
rado supermarket in 2021 damages, are expected to settlement with Remington
are suing gun-maker Sturm, be consolidated into one last year.
Ruger & Co. over how it case, Garza said. Gun makers are generally
marketed the firearm used “We’re interested in pursu- shielded from liability under
in the massacre, adding to ing justice for all the fami- a 2005 federal law, but an
litigation first filed earlier this lies and holding Ruger ac- exception allows lawsuits
month against the com- countable,” Garza said over firearms marketing.
pany. Monday. The gunman in the March
The lawsuit by relatives of Representatives of Sturm, 22, 2021, shooting at the
five of the 10 people killed Ruger & Co., based in Fair- King Soopers store in Boul-
in Boulder was served on field, Connecticut, did not der legally bought the Ru-
the company Thursday immediately respond to ger AR-556, investigators
and is expected to be filed email and phone messag- said.
this week in Superior Court es Monday. The six victims whose rela-
in Stamford, Connecticut, The wrongful death law- tives are suing Sturm, Ru-
according to Andrew Gar- suits are similar to one filed ger & Co. were Suzanne
za, a lawyer for the plain- Pictures of the 10 victims of a mass shooting in a King Soopers against gun-maker Rem- Fountain, Neven Stanisic,
tiffs. The son of a sixth vic- grocery store are posted on a cement barrier outside the ington by relatives of vic- Denny Stong, Lynn Mur-
tim sued the company on supermarket in Boulder, Colo., on April 23, 2021. tims of the 2012 Sandy Hook ray, Jody Waters and Kevin
March 14. Associated Press Elementary School shoot- Mahoney.q