Urgent: Stop Government Use of Spyware on U.S. Citizens

One of the most powerful stealth cyberweapons ever created – Paragon's Graphite, which was produced outside the US – is now in the hands of a U.S. government agency - ICE - that has repeatedly been accused by civil and human rights groups of violating people’s due process rights. This reality raises deeply troubling questions about unchecked surveillance, abuse of power, and the erosion of constitutional protections. The ability of spyware such as Graphite (and similar surveillance tools like Pegasus, Predator, and others) to secretly infiltrate personal devices is a direct threat to Americans’ freedoms if wielded without ironclad oversight. Once weaponized against citizens, these tools can expose private conversations, health information, and political organizing—activities that are central to the functioning of a free society. Congress cannot allow the executive branch or its agencies to secretly repurpose foreign-built spyware against the population absent meaningful checks. We have already seen these technologies abused in other nations against journalists, activists, and opposition figures. The U.S. must not follow that path. I urge you to introduce and support legislation that: 1) Explicitly prohibits the use of foreign or domestic spyware against U.S. citizens without a warrant issued under traditional, transparent judicial procedures. 2) Establishes independent oversight boards to review and audit any governmental deployment of such cyber tools. 3) Requires public reporting and disclosure when spyware is obtained or contracted by U.S. government agencies and their contractors. 4) Imposes severe criminal and civil penalties for agencies or officials that use spyware to target Americans outside of lawful court-approved processes. Without legislative guardrails, spyware in government hands presents an existential threat to constitutional rights, civil liberties, and democratic accountability. Protecting Americans from warrantless digital intrusion must be a bipartisan imperative. I strongly urge you to act swiftly to ensure that surveillance technologies in U.S. hands remain bound by the principles of the Constitution rather than standing in opposition to them. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your leadership in defending the freedoms of the people you represent.