Suzanne Smalley
The manufacturers of the powerful commercial spyware Pegasus argued in a Friday court filing that it is appropriate for its global clients to target any high-ranking government or military official with the technology because their jobs categorically make them “legitimate intelligence targets.”
The statement is a revelatory admission from the typically tight-lipped Pegasus manufacturer, NSO Group, regarding who it believes can justifiably be targeted with its zero-click and all-seeing surveillance product.
It surfaced in court documents related to a lawsuit WhatsApp has brought against NSO Group for allegedly infecting about 1,400 of its users’ devices with the technology. The hacks were discovered in 2019.
A former United Nations official overseeing the right to free expression said NSO Group’s comments go beyond their prior assertions and are more sweeping in their definition of who can legitimately be targeted by Pegasus.
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