Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

New US law to monitor sale of cyber-tools overseas

New US law to monitor sale of cyber-tools overseas

Newly passed legislation will push the United States State Department to disclose how it polices the sale of cyber-tools and services abroad.
The move followed an investigation by the Reuters news agency which revealed that US intelligence contractors clandestinely assisted a foreign spying operation in the United Arab Emirates, helping the monarchy to crack down on internal dissent.

The legislation directs the US State Department to report to Congress within 90 days on how it controls the spread of cyber-tools and to disclose any action it has taken to punish companies for violating its policies.

Under US law, companies selling hacking products or services to foreign governments must first obtain permission from the State Department.

US legislators and human rights advocates have grown increasingly concerned that hacking skills developed for US spy services are being sold abroad with scant oversight.

"Just as we regulate the export of missiles and guns to foreign countries, we need to properly supervise the sale of cyber-capabilities," said Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, who drafted the legislation.

The provision was a result of a Reuters investigation, congressional staffers said, which showed US defence contractors ran a hacking unit in the UAE called Project Raven and that the State Department granted permission to three companies to assist the Emirati government in surveillance.

A State Department spokesman declined to comment. The agency previously said human rights concerns are carefully weighed before such licences are issued but declined to comment on the authorisations granted for Project Raven.

The UAE embassy in Washington, DC did not respond to a request for comment. In response to Reuters reporting, a senior Emirati official last year said the country possessed a "cyber-capability" that it needed to protect itself.

The new reporting guideline was part of the State Department's 2020 budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 20.

The UAE program used former US National Security Agency (NSA) operatives to target foreign rivals, human rights activists, and journalists, the Reuters reporting found.

While the secret Emirati hacking unit was initially created to help the country "fight terrorism", the Reuters investigation revealed that it quickly became a tool for the monarchy to crack down on internal dissent. Reuters found the clandestine program helped local security forces track activists, who were sometimes later tortured.

Reuters reporting also showed how the State Department granted permission to three companies - US consulting firm Good Harbor, cybersecurity company CyberPoint International, and defence contractor SRA International - to assist the Emirati government in surveillance operations.

CyberPoint and Good Harbor did not immediately respond to requests for comment. General Dynamics, which now owns SRA, declined to comment.

Good Harbor and CyberPoint have previously told Reuters that they obtained proper permissions from the State Department and followed all US laws.

"This report will help Congress ensure these sales are advancing our foreign policy goals, especially in light of recent reports alleging human rights abuses," said Ruppersberger, whose district is home to the NSA.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
×