Senator Ron Wyden has sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office asking it to launch a comprehensive review of how the FBI, DEA, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, and the Secret Service use hacking tools and spyware against Americans. Wyden points to a lack of transparency, noting the government publishes no annual reports on hacking operations unlike wiretaps and pen registers, and that DOJ and FBI have repeatedly rebuffed congressional transparency requests. He wants GAO to investigate potential misuse of these tools, how agencies acquire and secure them to prevent leaks, and how courts are informed about risks to innocent bystanders when warrants are requested. Wyden cites the case of former L3Harris executive Peter Williams, who stole and sold hacking tools to a Russian broker that were later used by Russian spies against Ukraine and Chinese cybercriminals against crypto holders, as well as the FBI's 1999 use of keystroke-logging malware against mobster Nicodemo Scarfo.
