Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has called for a comprehensive review into how US federal law enforcement agencies utilise hacking tools and spyware against Americans. On Friday, Senator Wyden sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency that audits the federal government, requesting an inquiry.
The letter, shared with TechCrunch, specifically names the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Secret Service. Senator Wyden cited a lack of transparency regarding the frequency and reasons for deploying these tools, noting that unlike wiretaps, the government does not publish annual reports on hacking operations.
Senator Wyden's requests to the GAO include investigating potential abuse of hacking tools for unauthorised purposes, reviewing how agencies acquire and secure these tools, and assessing how courts are informed when warrants are sought for their use. He also highlighted risks associated with acquiring such tools, referencing the case of Peter Williams, a former L3Harris executive who sold advanced hacking tools that were subsequently used by Russian spies and Chinese cybercriminals.