Exclusive: Senator calls on Commerce to tighten proposed rules on exporting surveillance, hacking tech to problematic nations

Sen. Ron Wyden urged the Commerce Department to strengthen proposed export controls intended to prevent U.S. surveillance and cyber-espionage technologies from enabling human-rights abuses, arguing the draft rules exclude many repressive regimes and contain loopholes; he recommended expanding the list of covered foreign security agencies, tightening exporter due diligence to prevent circumvention via private vendors or hack-for-hire intermediaries, and extending controls to all biometric surveillance technologies, while the article also notes industry concerns and related U.S. national-security measures.