The controversial spyware maker NSO Group has released a new transparency report, touting a supposed shift toward accountability as it seeks to re-enter the U.S. market. However, experts and digital rights advocates are dismissing the report as a superficial attempt to influence the U.S. government and lift restrictions imposed under the Biden administration.
A Campaign for Removal from the Entity List
NSO Group has been lobbying to be removed from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Entity List, which effectively blocks the company from doing business with American firms. The company’s recent restructuring, including the appointment of former Trump official David Friedman as executive chairman and the departure of key founders, is seen as part of this effort. The new leadership and the transparency report are meant to signal a change in behavior.
Transparency Report Lacks Substance
The 2025 transparency report provides vague assurances of respecting human rights but lacks the concrete details included in previous disclosures. Unlike earlier reports, it does not specify how many potential customers were rejected, investigated, or terminated due to human rights violations. This omission raises questions about the company’s commitment to accountability.
“NSO is clearly on a campaign to get removed from the U.S. Entity List…This is nothing but another attempt at window dressing, and the U.S. government should not be taken for a fool,” says Natalia Krapiva, senior tech-legal counsel at Access Now.
Past Transparency Reports Showed More Detail
Previous reports revealed that NSO terminated or suspended customers in past years due to misuse, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. For instance, the 2024 report detailed three investigations, with one customer cut off entirely and another subjected to human rights training and monitoring. The 2023 report highlighted the suspension of six customers, costing the company $57 million in revenue. The current report omits these figures entirely.
Why This Matters
NSO Group’s spyware, Pegasus, has been used by governments worldwide to target journalists, activists, and political dissidents. The lack of transparency allows abuses to continue unchecked. The company’s push to enter the U.S. market raises concerns about potential misuse of its technology by domestic law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The U.S. government’s decision on NSO’s Entity List status will have far-reaching implications for global surveillance practices.
The absence of verifiable data in the latest report, coupled with the company’s history of empty promises, suggests that NSO’s transparency push is primarily a PR strategy aimed at circumventing scrutiny rather than genuine reform.
In the long run, if NSO gets back into the US market, it will set a dangerous precedent for other spyware companies, potentially normalizing the sale of intrusive surveillance tools with little oversight.
