The NGO Amnesty International said Monday (June 22nd) that spy software from the Israeli firm NSO was used to spy on a Moroccan journalist in January.
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The NSO group, an Israeli company specializing in computer espionage, notably produces Pegasus, a software allowing not only to access data from a smartphone, but to take control of the camera or microphone. According to the human rights organization, the Moroccan authorities used Pegasus to spy on the phone of Omar Radi, a Moroccan journalist.
“ It is clear that we cannot trust the NSO group. As the company attempts to whitewash its image with a public relations campaign, its software illegally spies on journalist Omar Radi, "said Danna Ingleton, deputy director of Amnesty Tech. in a press release from the NGO.
In a written response to questions from AFP, NSO said it could not comment on " the links that NSO Group may have with the Moroccan authorities " for reasons of confidentiality but was studying the questions raised by Amnesty. " An investigation will be opened if we judge it to be justified, " says NSO. " NSO is the first company of its kind to provide a program for the implementation of the United Nations guiding principles on business and human rights, " added the firm.
According to Amnesty Omar Radi, he was " systematically targeted by the Moroccan authorities because of his journalism and his militancy ".
In March, a Moroccan court sentenced Omar Radi to a four-month suspended prison sentence for criticizing a judge on Twitter. He had told AFP after the verdict that he would appeal.
" If the Moroccan authorities are ultimately responsible for the illegal hacking of activists and journalists like Omar Radi, NSO Group has contributed to these abuses by keeping the Moroccan government as an active client at least until January 2020, " added Amnesty. .
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