Apple, WhatsApp pledge to keep warning users as Trump administration 'cosies' up to spyware vendors

Spyware

Apple and WhatsApp have pledged to continue alerting users worldwide — including in the United States — if their phones are targeted by government spyware, as two controversial Israeli-founded surveillance firms try to expand operations under the Trump administration.

According to a report by The Guardian, the commitments follow revelations that Paragon Solutions, maker of the Graphite spyware, has secured a $2 million contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a previous freeze was lifted. Another notorious spyware vendor, NSO Group, known for its Pegasus software, has appointed David Friedman, Donald Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, as executive chairman of its parent company.

What’s the concern about Paragon and NSO?

Both Paragon and NSO make tools capable of hacking into any smartphone undetected — reading messages, tracking locations, or turning devices into remote microphones. While the companies claim their products are used for fighting crime and terrorism, investigations have repeatedly shown misuse by governments to target journalists, activists and political figures.

Paragon first signed a limited contract with ICE in 2024 under the Biden administration, but the deal was paused after questions about compliance with human rights safeguards. It was reinstated in 2025 under the Trump administration, raising fears that such surveillance tools could now be used domestically, as per the report.

How are Apple and WhatsApp responding?

Both companies have long taken a hard stance against mercenary spyware.

Apple said its threat notifications are based on evidence of targeted attacks, regardless of a user’s location.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, echoed the sentiment, stating that it would “continue alerting people whose device has come under threat, no matter where they are in the world”, according to the report by The Guardian.

Their reassurances come amid speculation over whether Big Tech firms would maintain the same transparency within the US — especially given their ongoing business ties with the Trump administration.

Why does this matter now?

The re-entry of spyware makers into the US market marks a striking reversal from 2021, when the Biden administration blacklisted NSO Group, citing threats to national security. With Friedman now at NSO’s helm and Paragon supplying ICE, human rights experts fear a new domestic surveillance landscape.

Citizen Lab’s John Scott-Railton warned that “American businesses aren’t ready to detect and defend against this kind of threat at home,” calling the possibility of widespread surveillance “a silent spyware epidemic waiting to happen”.

What’s next?

Legal and ethical questions persist over whether US agencies can deploy spyware against American citizens.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has demanded answers from immigration officials but says responses have stalled since the government shutdown.

For now, Apple and WhatsApp remain the last line of defence for individuals unknowingly caught in the crosshairs of government surveillance — even as the lines between national security and privacy grow increasingly blurred.