Politician Investigating Spyware Abuses Had Phone Hacked with Pegasus
A government customer of NSO Group used the company's Pegasus spyware to hack into the phone of a European politician who was at the time serving on an EU committee investigating the spyware industry.
The incident highlights the ongoing controversies surrounding commercial surveillance software and raises questions about the targeting of officials tasked with regulatory oversight. Pegasus, developed by Israeli company NSO Group, has been at the center of multiple global controversies over its use by governments to spy on journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.
This case appears to mark a new dimension in the misuse of spyware: the targeting of a government official specifically because of his role in examining the industry. The EU committee on which the politician served was investigating potential abuses of surveillance technologies across member states.
NSO Group has maintained that its software is intended for use by intelligence and law enforcement agencies to combat serious crimes and terrorism. However, critics have long argued that the company has insufficient safeguards to prevent abuse.