An interview with Paragon Solutions CEO Andrew Boyd, who says the US spyware maker cannot see customers' targeting information and doesn't have a “kill switch”
Context & Ripple Effects
Paragon entered public view as an Israeli surveillance startup associated with tools that could reach encrypted messaging apps. A 2025 examination of Graphite and its suspected deployments put the company’s capabilities and customer use under sharper scrutiny.
The interview lands within a broader US effort to favor spyware suppliers aligned with US and allied buyers. Boyd’s account defines the limits of Paragon’s claimed oversight: the company says it lacks both targeting visibility and a direct mechanism to disable a customer’s tool.
First-order effects
- Paragon’s customers retain control over targeting and continued use of Graphite, while the vendor says it cannot independently inspect those choices or directly shut down the product.
- The company’s responsible-use positioning is narrowed to the controls it can actually exercise; public discussion noted that it can withhold support and unspecified updates, not compel access to customer activity logs.
Second-order effects
- Government buyers assessing vendor safeguards must distinguish between contractual or technical audit rights and a supplier’s stated inability to see targeting data or deactivate a deployment.
- Paragon is more directly exposed to comparisons with NSO Group’s customer-log requirements, which observers cited as a stronger mechanism for investigating alleged misuse.
Third-order effects
- As governments steer procurement toward politically aligned spyware vendors, accountability claims are likely to be judged by enforceable access, audit, and suspension powers rather than vendor ownership or stated intent alone.
- The episode points to a structural tension in commercial spyware: customer secrecy can be integral to the product while limiting a supplier’s capacity to police abuse.
The trend: The spyware market is shifting toward state-compatible suppliers, but procurement alignment does not by itself establish operational oversight of how customers use surveillance tools.