I doubt Israel will allow this technology out of their “control.” Still, the US would love to control access to the software…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/14/nso-group-pegasus-us-l3harris

US defence contractor in talks to take over NSO Group’s hacking technology

Deal – which would require approval from US and Israel – would give L3Harris control over controversial Pegasus tool

The US defence contractor L3Harris is in talks to take over NSO Group’s surveillance technology, in a possible deal that would give an American company control over one of the world’s most sophisticated and controversial hacking tools.

Multiple sources confirmed that discussions were centred on a sale of the Israeli company’s core technology – or code – as well as a possible transfer of NSO personnel to L3Harris. But any agreement still faces significant hurdles, including requiring the blessing of the US and Israeli governments, which have not yet given the green light to a deal.

In a statement, a senior White House official said: “Such a transaction, if it were to take place, raises serious counterintelligence and security concerns for the US government.”

… If agreed, the deal would mark an astounding turnaround for NSO, less than a year after the Biden administration placed the company on a US blacklist and accused it of acting “contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the US”.

NSO’s government clients are known to have used the surveillance technology to target journalists, human rights activists, senior government officials in US-allied countries, and lawyers around the world.

The Guardian and other media outlets have also detailed how NSO’s surveillance technology, Pegasus, has been used by the company’s government clients to target American citizens, including Carine Kanimba, daughter of the Rwandan dissident Paul Rusesabagina, as well as journalists, activists and US state department officials working abroad.

… One person familiar with the talks said that if a deal were agreed, it would probably involve selling NSO’s capabilities to a drastically curtailed customer base that would include the US government, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada – which comprise the “five eyes” intelligence alliance – as well as some Nato allies.

The person also said that the deal faced several unresolved issues, including whether the technology would be housed in Israel or the US and whether Israel would be allowed to continue to use the technology as a customer.

Do you think the non-government purchasers are using the same data for purposes we would approve of?

https://www.bespacific.com/how-the-federal-government-buys-our-cell-phone-location/

How the Federal Government Buys Our Cell Phone Location

EFF: “Over the past few years, data brokers and federal military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies have formed a vast, secretive partnership to surveil the movements of millions of people. Many of the mobile apps on our cell phones track our movements with great precision and frequency. Data brokers harvest our location data from the app developers, and then sell it to these agencies. Once in government hands, the data is used by the military to spy on people overseas, by ICE to monitor people in and around the U.S., and by criminal investigators like the FBI and Secret Service. This post will draw on recent research and reporting to explain how this surveillance partnership works, why is it alarming, and what can we do about it…”

(Related)

https://gizmodo.com/amazon-ring-camera-audio-recording-sen-ed-markey-survei-1849060626

Senator Presses Amazon to Disclose Just How Creepy Ring Cameras Can Be

Sen. Ed Markey on Tuesday said that his office plans to push forward with an already yearslong investigation into “harmful surveillance practices” and “invasive data collection” facilitated by Amazon’s flagship home security product, Ring.

In a letter to Amazon CEO Andrew Jassey—the handpicked replacement of ex-CEO Jeff Bezos, who transitioned to executive chairman last summer—Markey is pushing Amazon to disclose its own internal research into the range and capabilities of the microphones included in Ring cameras and doorbells. Markey (D-Mass.) wrote that while steps taken by the company in response to past concerns were worthy of acknowledgement, he remained troubled by reports that Ring’s products were capturing “vast amounts of audio recordings” in both public and private settings, playing a part in “blackmail, stalking, and other damaging practices.”

… These concerns are heightened, Markey said, due to Amazon’s ongoing efforts to recruit police departments into a program designed to grant them access to its footage. Roughly 10 percent of U.S. law enforcement agencies—more than 2,100 departments in total—have signed agreements with Amazon. Officers enrolled in the program are granted access to a police-specific platform, enabling them to solicit footage directly from more than 10 million users on a voluntary basis.