US immigration agency uses Israeli spyware, phone-hacking tech to track individuals: Report

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has significantly expanded its use of intrusive surveillance technologies, including spyware and phone-hacking tools from Israeli companies, the Washington Post reported Thursday. ICE has purchased technology from two Israeli firms during its recent acquisition expansion as the agency transforms into the nation’s most funded law enforcement body. Paragon Solutions, whose software enables remote phone infiltration, and Cellebrite, which provides tools to unlock seized devices and organize their contents automatically, were among the technologies with which the immigration agency signed contracts. Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told Anadolu that “there’s been a proliferation of data sharing and of an increase in the technologies that are used by ICE agents.” […]