Stefan Mileschin

Meta has banned seven “surveillance for hire” companies that targeted at least 50,000 people around the world. The company also banned more than 1,000 accounts associated with these companies.

The companies targeted in the takedowns include Cobwebs, Cognyte, Black Cube, Bluehawk CI, BelltroX and Cytrox. Facebook’s security researchers also identified “an unknown entity in China,” which was “developing surveillanceware” and used facial recognition software. Facebook’s researchers didn’t say who was behind the group, but said the software had been used by “domestic law enforcement” in the country.

While some of the companies make spyware, the groups use other tactics as well, including social engineering with fake accounts in order to gain access to targets’ personal information. During a call with reporters Thursday, Meta’s security chief Nathaniel Gleicher said that while there has been a lot of attention on “hacking for hire” groups like NSO, the broader “surveillance for hire” industry is also troubling. “One of the things that characterizes the surveillance or hire industry is indiscriminate targeting,” he said.

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