U.S. President Joe Biden banned the U.S. government from using commercial espionage software such as Pegasus, which has sparked controversy, on the grounds that commercial espionage software is used by governments around the world as a tool of political suppression.

(Reuters)

(Central News Agency) US President Joe Biden today banned the US government from using commercial espionage software such as the controversial "Pegasus" on the grounds that commercial espionage software is used by governments around the world as a tool of political suppression.

The White House said commercial spyware posed a significant intelligence threat to the United States and had been found on the phones of 50 personnel stationed abroad, Agence France-Presse reported.

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In addition, some foreign governments use commercial espionage software to "facilitate repression and human rights abuses."

"The abuse of these powerful surveillance tools is not unique to authoritarian regimes," the White House said in a statement.

“Democratic governments are also being kicked out of the system by using commercial espionage software against its citizens without proper legal authorization, protection, and oversight.”

Biden's order is not a blanket ban on commercial espionage software, but only applies to any software deemed to pose a risk to U.S. national security or to be politically abused by other governments.

The order also would not limit the development of spyware by U.S. government agencies such as the CIA and NSA.

The timing of the announcement of the ban came just a day before Biden convened the second Summit for Democracy (Summit for Democracy).

Leaders from 121 countries were invited to attend the three-day summit.

According to the White House, the commercial espionage software ban is a "foundational" initiative of the summit.