By Pamodi WaravitaUnited Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called the apparent widespread use of the spyware “Pegasus” to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, and politicians around the world as “extremely alarming”, following the leak of a list of about 50,000 phone numbers of people allegedly of interest to clients of the Israeli technology firm behind the software, NSO Group. The use of surveillance software has been linked to the arrest, intimidation, and even killings of journalists and human rights defenders,” she stated on Monday (19). “Journalists and human rights defenders play an indispensable role in our societies, and when they are silenced, we all suffer. Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has reportedly stated that although the likelihood of the use of the Pegasus spyware in Sri Lanka cannot be ruled out, there is no assertive evidence on the matter. When contacted, the Free Media Movement (FMM) was not aware of the matter as far as it pertained to Sri Lanka.

Source: The Nation July 21, 2021 16:52 UTC