EPIC, Coalition Send Letter to DHS regarding $2 Million Contract with Paragon Solutions, Inc.

EPIC joined over 40 civil society organizations and individual experts in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding a September 2024 single source contract between DHS and Paragon Solutions, an Israeli headquartered spyware vendor. While publicly available information does not specify the exact technologies or services involved, Paragon Solutions’ flagship product, Graphite, is a known spyware technology which can extract data from encrypted messages on apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Signal.

When US agencies procure and use spyware in a way which violates people’s rights, it weakens the US’ global efforts to counter commercial spyware and protect human rights defenders, activists, and all those who fight for democratic values around the world.

The coalition urges the Department to ensure it has complied with all laws and policies, particularly the Biden Administration’s Executive Order 14093, and make its determinations public in order to maintain the trust of the American people and those who support democracy, rule of law, and human rights globally.

EPIC regularly advocates for greater oversight of surveillance systems and closely tracks government procurement, use, and export of spyware to ensure that civil liberties are protected. Recently, EPIC filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit arguing that foreign spyware is not exempt from prosecution under the CFAA in the United States. EPIC also joined an international coalition to address the unchecked spread of spyware in the European Union and beyond.