U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reactivated a $2 million agreement with Israeli spyware company Paragon, almost a year after it was initially frozen.
The deal, signed in 2023, was placed under a “stop work order” by the Biden administration shortly after approval. Officials wanted time to assess whether the contract complied with a presidential order restricting the government’s use of commercial spyware that could be abused to monitor U.S. citizens or undermine human rights abroad.
For months, it appeared the agreement might lapse quietly. But a new entry on the Federal Procurement Data System dated August 30 shows ICE has lifted the suspension. The notice described the arrangement as covering “a fully configured proprietary solution including license, hardware, warranty, maintenance, and training.”
Independent journalist Jack Poulson was the first to highlight the change.
Paragon’s Image and Ethical Concerns
Paragon has worked to position itself as an “ethical” alternative in the spyware industry, distancing itself from companies such as NSO Group and Intellexa that have faced international backlash. The company says its mission is to provide “responsible” surveillance tools to governments.
Still, the decision to work with ICE raises questions. The agency has expanded its surveillance and deportation capabilities in recent years, making its partnership with a spyware maker highly controversial. Requests for comment from Paragon representatives went unanswered.
Earlier this year, Paragon’s leadership stressed that it only sells its tools to the U.S. and allied nations. But its record has already been marred by scandal.
Past Spyware Abuse
In January, WhatsApp disclosed that nearly 90 users, including journalists and human rights defenders, had been targeted with Paragon’s spyware known as Graphite. Among those affected were Italian reporter Francesco Cancellato and local activists advocating for immigrant rights.
The revelation led Paragon to sever ties with the Italian government, which launched its own inquiry. Later, Citizen Lab researchers confirmed that at least two additional journalists in Europe had also been compromised by the same spyware.
An Italian parliamentary committee ultimately ruled that the surveillance of activists was legal, though it said there was no evidence national intelligence services were behind the targeting of Cancellato.
Growing Scrutiny
Digital rights experts warn that spyware use in democratic nations poses significant risks. John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab argued that tools like Graphite were “designed for dictatorships, not for democracies that value liberty and individual rights.”
He added that spyware abuse is becoming alarmingly common, and Paragon has yet to fully address concerns about unexplained hacks linked to its technology.
