The Israeli police allegedly conducted warrantless phone intercepts of Israeli citizens, including politicians and activists, using the NSO group’s controversial Pegasus spyware, according to an investigation by the Israeli business media site Calcalist. Senior NSO officials have claimed that its software was not authorised for use against Israeli and US telephone numbers. A statement released by the Israeli police service, while denying that it conducted warrantless interception, declined to discuss whether Pegasus had been used for interceptions. According to the report the police first acquired the Pegasus software in 2013, which they began using in 2015. In a statement released by NSO following publication of the investigation, it reiterated its longstanding claim that it had no input into how its clients used its spyware.

Source: The Guardian January 19, 2022 01:23 UTC