{"id":3489105,"date":"2026-04-02T15:39:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/ice-claims-it-acquired-paragons-spyware-for-application-in-drug-trafficking-investigations\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:39:51","slug":"ice-claims-it-acquired-paragons-spyware-for-application-in-drug-trafficking-investigations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/02\/ice-claims-it-acquired-paragons-spyware-for-application-in-drug-trafficking-investigations\/","title":{"rendered":"ICE claims it acquired Paragon\u2019s spyware for application in drug trafficking investigations."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The interim leader of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement informed legislators that the agency has acquired and utilized spyware from Paragon Solutions in drug trafficking investigations, as per a letter reviewed by TechCrunch.<\/p>\n

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons conveyed in his correspondence to three congress members that he sanctioned the agency\u2019s criminal investigative division, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to deploy \u201cstate-of-the-art technological resources\u201d to combat \u201cforeign terrorist organizations\u2019 rampant exploitation of encrypted communication channels,\u201d in reference to spyware.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The challenge law enforcement faces in accessing encrypted information has frequently been cited as validation for the necessity of employing computer and cellphone spyware in significant criminal investigations, as it can directly extract data from an individual\u2019s device. Critics and advocates for human rights have long highlighted the escalating number of journalists, political figures, and civil society members whose devices have been compromised by governments utilizing commercial spyware.<\/p>\n

In the letter, Lyons stated that ICE\u2019s deployment of spyware would \u201cadhere to constitutional standards,\u201d and that he \u201ccertified that HSI\u2019s practical application of the specific tool does not present considerable security or counterintelligence threats, or significant risks of improper employment by a foreign regime or foreign individual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Contact Us<\/h4>\n

\t\t\tDo you possess further information on how ICE is leveraging Paragon\u2019s spyware? From a personal device, you can reach out to Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email.\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n

Bloomberg was the first to disclose ICE\u2019s correspondence to lawmakers.<\/p>\n

In 2024, ICE entered into a contract with U.S.-Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions, a contract that was swiftly put on hold by the Biden administration to determine whether it met the criteria of an executive order restricting U.S. agencies from utilizing spyware that could target Americans overseas or violate human rights.<\/p>\n

In September 2025, ICE revoked the suspension and reinstated the contract. Nevertheless, it was unclear until now if ICE planned to utilize Paragon\u2019s spyware.<\/p>\n

The spyware manufacturer has become embroiled in a extensive scandal in Italy, where it was uncovered that journalists and pro-immigration advocates were targeted using Paragon\u2019s spyware Graphite last year. In response, Paragon severed ties with Italy\u2019s intelligence agencies regarding its spyware products.<\/p>\n

When contacted for feedback, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee, one of the lawmakers who sought information from ICE, informed TechCrunch that the agency is now proceeding \u201cwith intrusive spyware technology within the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The legislator further stated, \u201crather than addressing the serious constitutional and civil rights issues we raised, DHS is urging the public to accept vague reassurances and fear-driven justifications.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe individuals most vulnerable, including immigrants, Black and brown communities, journalists, activists, and anyone voicing opposition to government misconduct, deserve more than secrecy and evasion from an agency with a long history of overreach and misconduct,\u201d remarked Lee.<\/p>\n

Paragon and ICE did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiries regarding the agency’s use of spyware.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/div>\n

The interim leader of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement informed legislators that the agency has acquired and utilized spyware from Paragon Solutions in drug trafficking investigations, as per a letter reviewed by TechCrunch.<\/p>\n

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons conveyed in his correspondence to three congress members that he sanctioned the agency\u2019s criminal investigative division, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to deploy \u201cstate-of-the-art technological resources\u201d to combat \u201cforeign terrorist organizations\u2019 rampant exploitation of encrypted communication channels,\u201d in reference to spyware.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The challenge law enforcement faces in accessing encrypted information has frequently been cited as validation for the necessity of employing computer and cellphone spyware in significant criminal investigations, as it can directly extract data from an individual\u2019s device. Critics and advocates for human rights have long highlighted the escalating number of journalists, political figures, and civil society members whose devices have been compromised by governments utilizing commercial spyware.<\/p>\n

In the letter, Lyons stated that ICE\u2019s deployment of spyware would \u201cadhere to constitutional standards,\u201d and that he \u201ccertified that HSI\u2019s practical application of the specific tool does not present considerable security or counterintelligence threats, or significant risks of improper employment by a foreign regime or foreign individual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Contact Us<\/h4>\n

\t\t\tDo you possess further information on how ICE is leveraging Paragon\u2019s spyware? From a personal device, you can reach out to Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email.\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n

Bloomberg was the first to disclose ICE\u2019s correspondence to lawmakers.<\/p>\n

In 2024, ICE entered into a contract with U.S.-Israeli spyware firm Paragon Solutions, a contract that was swiftly put on hold by the Biden administration to determine whether it met the criteria of an executive order restricting U.S. agencies from utilizing spyware that could target Americans overseas or violate human rights.<\/p>\n

In September 2025, ICE revoked the suspension and reinstated the contract. Nevertheless, it was unclear until now if ICE planned to utilize Paragon\u2019s spyware.<\/p>\n

The spyware manufacturer has become embroiled in a extensive scandal in Italy, where it was uncovered that journalists and pro-immigration advocates were targeted using Paragon\u2019s spyware Graphite last year. In response, Paragon severed ties with Italy\u2019s intelligence agencies regarding its spyware products.<\/p>\n

When contacted for feedback, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee, one of the lawmakers who sought information from ICE, informed TechCrunch that the agency is now proceeding \u201cwith intrusive spyware technology within the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The legislator further stated, \u201crather than addressing the serious constitutional and civil rights issues we raised, DHS is urging the public to accept vague reassurances and fear-driven justifications.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe individuals most vulnerable, including immigrants, Black and brown communities, journalists, activists, and anyone voicing opposition to government misconduct, deserve more than secrecy and evasion from an agency with a long history of overreach and misconduct,\u201d remarked Lee.<\/p>\n

Paragon and ICE did not respond to TechCrunch’s inquiries regarding the agency’s use of spyware.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3489106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3489105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3489105"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3489105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3489105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3489106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3489105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3489105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techingeek.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3489105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}