Following a slew of hacking scandals involving private companies, specializing in the development of surveillance tools, the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has announced new rules that put further limitations on the export, reexport, or transfer of items that can be used for malicious cyber activities.
The rule, which is due to go into effect in 90 days, will ban the export or resale of hacking software and equipment to “countries of national security or weapons of mass destruction concern”, or subject to a US arms embargo without a special license.
“The License Exception ACE would impose an end-use restriction in circumstances where the exporter, re-exporter, or transferor knows or has reason to know at the time of export, reexport, or transfer (in-country), including a deemed export or reexport, that the ‘cybersecurity item’ will be used to affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of information or information systems, without authorization by the owner, operator or administrator of the information system (including the information and processes within such systems),” BIS said in a press release.
“The United States Government opposes the misuse of technology to abuse human rights or conduct other malicious cyber activities, and these new rules will help ensure that U.S. companies are not fueling authoritarian practices,” the Commerce Department bureau said.