U.S. Immigration gains access to Israeli spyware capable of hacking any phone

The Department of Homeland Security’s $2 million contract with Israeli firm Paragon Solutions for the Graphite spyware was paused for review but is now active, allowing ICE to hack smartphones, bypass encryption, track locations, and eavesdrop covertly

The U.S. government has quietly lifted a freeze on a controversial surveillance technology, giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to one of the most advanced spyware systems ever used by federal authorities.

The Department of Homeland Security initially signed a $2 million contract with Israeli-founded Paragon Solutions in late 2024 to procure its flagship spyware tool, Graphite. However, the deal was paused following a compliance review to assess alignment with President Biden’s executive order limiting federal use of foreign-developed spyware due to national security and human rights concerns.

Recent procurement records now show that the pause has been lifted, granting ICE operational authority over Graphite. The software can infiltrate virtually any smartphone, bypass encryption on apps like WhatsApp and Signal, track real-time location data, monitor calls, and covertly activate microphones—essentially turning phones into mobile surveillance hubs.

Though Paragon is now reportedly under U.S. ownership, critics say the move undermines the administration’s earlier push to curtail the proliferation of surveillance tools with a history of abuse.

Civil liberties advocates raise alarm

Officials justify the spyware’s deployment as necessary for combating terrorism and organized crime. Yet privacy and civil rights groups are sounding the alarm, particularly given ICE’s controversial track record with immigrant communities.

“This type of technology in ICE’s hands is a direct threat to privacy and due process,” said Nadine Farid Johnson of Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute. She emphasized that spyware has already been used globally to target journalists and human rights defenders.

While Paragon claims it only sells to democratic governments and maintains strict usage controls, experts remain skeptical. “These tools were designed with authoritarian use in mind,” said John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab. “Bringing them into democracies, especially without oversight, is dangerous.”

Advocates are now calling on Congress to establish clear legal guardrails for when and how federal agencies can deploy spyware. Without such protections, many warn, the U.S. risks normalizing surveillance practices long associated with oppressive regimes.