Chinese foreign ministry accuse US of spying 'without evidence' since ever

New Delhi: After US President Joe Biden issued a new executive order purportedly limiting the use of spyware by the government, China responded by accusing the United States of attempting to preserve “hegemony in cyberspace” under the guise of “national security.”

According to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, the recent White House directive aimed at curbing specific surveillance technology will not alter the reality that Washington poses the most significant danger to global cybersecurity.

Mao Ning asserted that US authorities, for years, have justified the use surveillance technology with national security and human rights without any proof to target foreign nations and firms.

She informed reporters on Friday that the US government purposely exploits technology to engage in cyber surveillance and espionage, as part of its efforts to maintain dominance in the cyberspace. She called upon the US to halt its worldwide hacking operations.

During a press briefing on Friday, a journalist pointed out that the Biden administration’s latest executive order to prohibit “commercial spyware that poses risks to national security or has been misused by foreign actors” is inconsistent with the administration’s previous collaboration with the Israeli cyber surveillance company, NSO Group.

As per a recent report in the New York Times, the US government entered into a “secret contract” with NSO Group through a front company in 2021, allowing authorities to clandestinely track “thousands” of phone users in Mexico via the company’s geolocation tool, ‘Landmark.’

The agreement also permits the use of Landmark to spy on mobile numbers in the US, but the publication lacked evidence of that happening yet.

Despite the executive order’s stipulation that federal agencies refrain from using tools that have been “misused” by foreign governments, the contract with NSO Group still seems to be operational, according to the NYT report.

NSO Group has faced allegations of collaborating with over a dozen foreign governments to target human rights activists, journalists, and lawyers using its powerful ‘Pegasus’ spyware program, including in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Several media reports have also claimed that the FBI procured the tech under a confidential agreement and tested ways to hack into American cell phones, but it is uncertain to what degree the program was deployed against US citizens.

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