“Project Pegasus exposes NSO’s spyware as the weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, target activists and crush dissent , putting countless lives at risk,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International. “These revelations undermine any claims by NSO that such attacks are rare and the result of fraudulent use of its technology . While the company claims its spyware is only used in legitimate criminal and terrorism investigations, it is clear that its technology lebanon number data facilitates systematic abuses. NSO paints a picture of legitimacy while profiting from widespread human rights violations .”
Pegasus provides the attacker with full access to the phone's messages, emails, media, microphone, camera, calls and contacts .
More than 80 journalists from 17 media organisations in 10 countries have joined forces. The media that have embarked on the investigation include The Guardian, Le Monde, Süddeutsche Zeitung and The Washington Post. Based on the leaked data and their investigations, Forbidden Stories and its media partners have identified potential NSO clients in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, Togo and the UAE.
The investigation has so far identified 180 journalists from 20 countries , including Azerbaijan, Hungary, India and Morocco, who were selected as potential targets for attacks using the software between 2016 and June 2021. “The number of journalists identified as targets clearly illustrates that Pegasus is being used as a tool to intimidate critical media outlets . This is done with the aim of controlling public discourse, opposing scrutiny and silencing any dissenting voices,” said Agnès Callamard.
NSO Group strongly denied the report's allegations to Forbidden Stories and its partner media organizations. In its response to the organization, it also wrote that the consortium's reporting was based on "mistaken assumptions" and "unsubstantiated theories."