Meta has started to take action against the growing problem with Surveillance-For-Hire organizations. The company disrupted the operations of seven (7) spyware developers by blocking their internet infrastructure, sending cease and desist letters, and banning them from Facebook and Instagram. The months-long investigation revealed the surveillance organizations created more than 1,500 fake accounts to target over 50,000 Facebook users for their clients. The seven (7) companies targeted by Meta include Cobwebs Technologies, Cognyte, Black Cube, Bluehawk CI, BellTroX, Cytrox, and one unnamed company from China. With the increase in popularity of The NSO Group, Meta stresses that they are “only one piece of a much broader global cyber mercenary industry.” Meta has notified the 50,000 users who were targeted by these organizations and deleted the 1,500 fake accounts identified in their investigation.