In April, we revealed that the Drug Enforcement Administration had purchased spyware from the controversial Italian surveillance vendor Hacking Team, secretly signing a contract worth $2.4 million in 2012.

But as it turns out, the agency barely used it, and doesn’t want it anymore.

Three months later, and after initially staying mum on its relationship with Hacking Team, the DEA finally revealed how it used the technology, which allows its operators to monitor a target’s computer or cellphone data, intercepting emails, messages, or Skype calls.

In a in a letter to US Senator Chuck Grassley, who had asked the DEA to give some explanations on how it used Hacking Team’s spyware after Motherboard’s investigation, the anti-drug agency revealed that it “recently” chose to cancel its contract with the Italian company after spending $927,000 for the spyware and related training.

Read the Full Article: Source – Vice
Browsing Privacy : (Vice) – The DEA Just Cancelled Its Contract With Hacking Team

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