Several commercial spyware companies are actively using lobbying and consultancy firms to influence government policies, seeking to ease trade restrictions, lift visa bans, and improve market access. This lobbying activity raises concerns due to its expense and opaque nature, highlighting the ability of spyware vendors to shape democratic decision-making in ways that may conflict with public interest.
Spyware Companies’ Lobbying Efforts
Paragon Solutions, an Illinois-based spyware vendor that secured a $2 million contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2024, has engaged Washington, DC consultants to maintain favor with the US government. Between 2023 and 2025, Paragon spent at least $380,000 on lobbying through Holland & Knight, a firm noted for its expertise in avoiding sanctions. Paragon positioned itself as an ethical surveillance technology provider and initially sought guidance from WestExec Advisors, a consultancy co-founded by former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on market strategies and ethics policies. However, in early 2025, Paragon was involved in a scandal in Italy linked to the targeting of journalists and activists, prompting it to sever ties with Italian customers. The company was acquired in late 2024 by AE Industrial Partners, a private equity firm that also incurs significant lobbying expenses.
Israeli spyware firm Candiru—renamed Saito Tech—has lobbied intensively to be removed from US trade restrictions imposed in 2021 alongside NSO Group. From 2021 to 2024, Candiru hired the law firm Arent Fox and lobbying firm Bridge Public Affairs to pursue delisting from the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) Entity List. In April 2025, Candiru was acquired by US firm Integrity Partners in a $30 million transaction reportedly aimed at circumventing sanctions. Candiru remains on the BIS list, and the regulatory consequences of the acquisition are still uncertain.
France’s Nexa Technologies—part of the Intellexa Alliance accused of selling spyware to authoritarian regimes—has also retained Washington-based lobbying and legal counsel to counter measures from Democratic lawmakers urging sanctions. Nexa rebranded as RB 42 and denies designing or selling spyware while stating its activities were sold to another French company. Intellexa executives have engaged with European lawmakers and regulatory officials via consultants, including former German intelligence coordinator Bernd Schmidbauer, who facilitated contacts with German security agencies between 2021 and 2022. European Parliament meetings involving Intellexa and a prominent Israeli law firm were held in 2023, although details about their consultancy role remain unclear.
Additional Surveillance Firms’ Influence
Other spyware companies have similarly employed lobbyists to shape cybersecurity policies. Israeli firm Cognyte retained the Vogel Group for lobbying on cybersecurity issues in 2022. Cognyte was among firms removed by Meta in 2021 for targeting individuals on Facebook and faces scrutiny over selling surveillance technology to authoritarian regimes. Interionet Systems, identified as developing malware for IoT devices, used lobbying services in the US during early 2025.
Challenges to Transparency
Public knowledge of spyware firms’ lobbying is limited. US Foreign Agents Registration Act filings, mostly applicable to foreign government agents, provide insight into some activity, but many lobbyists representing commercial interests register under the less transparent Lobbying Disclosure Act, which does not disclose meeting details or policy impacts. European lobbying disclosures are even less comprehensive, creating significant obstacles to fully understanding how spyware companies influence policymaking.
Why it matters
The aggressive lobbying efforts by spyware companies underscore their capacity to shape laws and regulations related to surveillance technology, often in ways that may undermine human rights protections and national security. Transparency gaps hinder public oversight of how commercial spyware vendors seek to reverse sanctions, alter export controls, and influence ethical standards, making ongoing scrutiny by civil society and regulators crucial.
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Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source: