A man walks past the logo of the Israeli cyber company NSO Group at one of its branches in the Arava desert, southern Israel on July 22, 2021.AMIR COHEN / Reuters
A total of 17 journalists from seven different countries have reported to the Paris Prosecutor's Office (France) the Israeli company NSO Group, provider of the Pegasus program, and how many people appear involved in this espionage case on a global scale, as reported by Reporters Sin Borders (RSF).
The 17 journalists - five from Mexico, five from India, two from Azerbaijan, two from Hungary, one from Morocco, one from Spain and one from Togo - are among the nearly 200 reporters targeted by this spy program.
The research consortium Forbiden Stories and the organization Amnesty International denounced a list of up to 50,000 phones identified as potential targets by the clients of the Israeli group.
This malware allows you to intercept phone calls, messages or contact lists and even activate the camera and microphone of infected mobiles.
The complaint of the 17 reporters is added to the one that RSF and two journalists with dual Moroccan and French nationality presented on July 20 before the Paris Prosecutor's Office.
The NGO has also referred these cases to the United Nations.
The investigation must first determine whether the wiretapping materialized - theoretically, what is known is just a list of potential targets - and identify those ultimately responsible for the intrusion and espionage.
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According to the Israeli company, the Pegasus program was sold exclusively to governments with the aim of fighting terrorism and organized crime.
In practice, it would have been used to secretly spy on opponents or journalists in countries such as Morocco, Mexico, Hungary, India, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda or Azerbaijan.
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The Spanish journalist on the list, Ignacio Cembrero, has also reported his case to the Spanish Prosecutor's Office and has asked that the alleged involvement of the Moroccan secret services be investigated, after media close to the authorities of the neighboring country published information with data that could have been stolen from your mobile.
The revelations about the Pegasus program have caused a considerable scandal in countries like Mexico, where a massive use of it and a network of private companies that have diverted large amounts of public money during the period of President Peña Nieto have been revealed; or in France, where it has been known that the President of the Republic himself, Emmanuel Macron, was among the possible spies, but they have been silenced in Morocco, where its authorities have denied any involvement.
