The Israeli-based NSO Group, whose software is alleged to have been used in controversial government surveillance, said on Tuesday that it would abide by UN guidelines to prevent rights abuses.
NSO is best known as a supplier of surveillance tools to governments and law enforcement and says its products tackle and prevent serious crimes and support search and rescue operations after natural disasters.
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Shalev Hulio, co-founder and chief executive of NSO, said: "NSO's products provide governments with the tools to help stop the world's worst terror attacks and most dangerous criminals. But [we] also understand that misuse could represent human rights violations."
NSO said it would from now on systematically apply procedures to identify risks that its technology could harm human rights, and then prevent or mitigate them.
It also plans to evaluate its sales process and contractually oblige customers to limit the use of its products to the prevention and investigation of serious crimes, and to ensure that they will not be used to violate human rights.
NSO, which Francisco Partners sold seven months ago to NSO managers and the European private equity firm Novalpina Capital, said the rules also provide mechanisms to enable reporting and investigation of suspected misuse of its products.
"This new policy publicly affirms our unequivocal respect for human rights and our commitment to mitigate the risk of misuse," Hulio said.
NSO said it had taken on Tom Ridge and Juliette Kayyem, former secretary and assistant secretary at the US Homeland Security Department, and former French Ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud as advisers.
