Sandvine Scraps Plan to Market Tool in US That Tracks Encrypted Messages

Computer networking company Sandvine has scrapped an effort to sell US law enforcement agencies a controversial internet surveillance technology that tracks encrypted messages and laid off most of the employees involved in the initiative, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.

Sandvine had pitched the new product, called “Digital Witness,” to governments and law enforcement agencies in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. It was marketed as a tool to covertly monitor people’s internet use and encrypted messages sent using popular applications such as Meta Platform Inc.s’ WhatsApp and Signal, according to the people, who asked not to be identified to discuss confidential matters.

Sandvine had already provided trial versions of the technology in the US, these people said. But a combination of broader economic woes and lingering concern over the company’s previous work with authoritarian governments hindered the product’s success, the people said.

Sandvine declined to comment when asked about Digital Witness. The company’s marketing materials indicate the product is sold only to law enforcement and government agencies, and it is still listed on Sandvine’s website.

Sandvine Chief Solutions Officer Samir Marwaha said in an emailed statement that about 50 employees were laid off. The job cuts were “directly attributable to the state of the global economy,” he said, adding that the reassignments had been made “to better align to serving our customer base.” Marwaha declined to comment on specific products or customers.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Sandvine also stopped sales abroad.