On August 12, 2026, President Trump issued a Presidential Memoranda essentially providing the groundwork for a government program sanctioning private industry to pursue international cyber criminals engaged in hacking. The Presidential Memoranda is available, here. The Memoranda states, in part:
The American private sector is the most innovative and
technologically advanced in the world, and its scale, speed, and capacity
secure a critical offensive cyber advantage for the United States.
Yet, American businesses’ innovative capabilities have historically been
underutilized in efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks
operating in cyberspace. Thus, it is the policy of the United States to
use all instruments of national power, including the innovative capabilities
of the private sector, to combat cybercrime. By partnering with vetted
United States companies subject to the direction and oversight of the Federal
Government, we will enhance our ability to counter TCO threats and combat
transnational cybercrime, fraud, and other predatory schemes against American
citizens.
