Although this may sound like an extreme example of government overreach, it is actually supported by new authorities granted to the Commerce Department via executive orders signed by Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
In fact, the use of Kaspersky Lab software in government agencies is already outlawed in both the U.S. and Canada, but now authorities are seeking to expand that to private companies and individuals. An announcement is expected soon, perhaps as early as this month, although sources told CNN that it should not be considered final until an official announcement ifs made. However, the Commerce Department has already made the “initial determination” to move forward.
Although the full scope of the order is not yet known, it is believed to focus on Kaspersky’s antivirus software. American officials have long claimed the Russian government could force the company to provide its data to them or use its software to help them surveil or hack Americans.
Kaspersky Lab was founded in Moscow in 1997 and has become one of the biggest successes in the antivirus software industry. The company’s software is used by 240,000 companies and 400 million people around the world. Although it is not known how many of them are in the U.S., officials believe the risk that using the software poses to American infrastructure justifies this order.
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The company's cofounder, Eugene Kaspersky, studied cryptography at a university sponsored by the KGB and worked for a Russian Ministry of Defense institute after graduation, but the company has denied having “any unethical ties or affiliations with any government, including Russia.”
The move barring private businesses from using Kaspersky software would be unprecedented, and it's one of many recent efforts by the government to control the technology that Americans use. For example, the U.S. Senate is currently weighing a bill forcing the Chinese-owned video sharing platform TikTok to find a new owner or it could be banned in the U.S.
While national security concerns have been cited as the reasons behind a potential TikTok ban and reservations about Chinese access to Americans' data are certainly warranted, some lawmakers recently indicated the real reason for banning TikTok would be related to gaining the power to censor people who share views that go against the government's favored narratives, such as censoring those who criticize Israel's actions in Gaza on the platform.
What will they ban next?
While many Americans do not have any desire to use Kaspersky products in the first place and might therefore feel they have no stake in this game, this type of action is something that should worry everyone who cherishes their freedom. It’s a slippery slope, and if they get away with this, it won’t be long before they start finding reasons to justify banning alternative media sites, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. Pretty soon, we will all be spoon-fed everything the government wants us to believe without any access to alternative views, much like people in China or North Korea.
A Commerce Department official told CNN: “We will do what addresses the national security risk and no more. If that involves saying: X, Y, Z critical infrastructure operators in high-risk sectors, you can’t use this software and that software provider can’t transact with you, then we’ll do that. And if it needs to be broader, we’ll do that.”
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