US announces visa restriction policy for people complicit in cybercrime

The United States has announced a new visa restriction policy aimed at individuals involved in cybercrime and the misuse of commercial spyware. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the policy targets those who facilitate or derive financial benefit from such activities, including the development, direction, or operational control of companies that supply commercial spyware to governments.

Immediate family members of those engaged in these activities may also be subjected to visa restrictions. The policy is being implemented under the Immigration and Nationality Act, reflecting U.S. concerns over the growing misuse of commercial spyware to facilitate repression, restrict information flow, and enable human rights abuses. Such misuse has been linked to arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.

The administration official noted that the visa ban is connected to a March 2023 executive order that restricted U.S. government agencies from using commercial spyware posing security risks. The U.S. is actively tracking a campaign where over 50 U.S. government workers in multiple countries were targeted with commercial spyware. The U.S. does not currently have a specific list of individuals to be targeted and will handle cases on a case-by-case basis. This new policy is part of a broader effort to ensure accountability for those misusing or enabling the misuse of these tools.