Removed from U.S. blacklist: Waterloo, Ont. tech company promises major changes, watchdogs remain hesitant [Video]

Things could be looking up for Waterloo, Ont.-based company and former tech darling Sandvine, after being removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List earlier this week.

It was placed on the trade restriction list in February, and prevented from doing business south of the border, after supposedly supplying the Egyptian government with its deep packet inspection technology, which was used to target human rights activists and dissidents.

Sandvine was removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List

“I think it had a real dramatic impact on their shareholders and the company profile. They had to lay off a lot of people. The entire ownership group was dismissed and replaced with a new one,” said Ron Deibert, director at The Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group that flagged the misuse of Sandvine’s tech.

The company announced several other transformative changes in September, in an attempt to repair its …