Is the series of publications according to which the Israeli cyber company NSO penetrated the phones of journalists and politicians part of an international political campaign?
The main body behind the investigations against the NSO company is a Canadian institute called "Citizen Love".
A number of independent researchers from the USA and Spain as well as a senior Israeli official tell "Israel Hayom" that the findings of "Citizen Love" have never been proven. The Israeli official also directed serious accusations at the American government, following the inclusion of NSO in the administration's blacklist and the opening of the investigation against it. "The Americans put a bullet between our eyes," he said. According to him, the purpose of the move is to damage Israeli capabilities.
The first researcher to question the claims against NSO is an American Jew named Irina Zuckerman.
She published her findings two years ago, since then she has been attacked on social media, and recently Twitter suspended her account for an unknown reason.
A new investigation has been opened.
NSO, photo: AFP
In a conversation with her, Zuckerman told Israel Hayom: "I was taken off Twitter permanently, without any explanation. I had 26,000 followers. I did not break the rules of the community and I did not attack anyone. I asked questions. I received messages from those who attacked me that if I was restrained they would make sure that I would not They will block me."
Twitter did not respond to Israel Hayom.
Another researcher who denies the claims against NSO is Jonathan Scott, one of the leading hackers in the US, who is also known and appreciated by the Pentagon. Scott: "Citizen Love's findings about NSO are incorrect because, according to Citizen Love, the Pegasus intrusion was made using components that were no longer installed on the phones during the intrusion.
There is no evidence or explanation for this.
"No sane person can accept a report like this that is just allegations without evidence, and that's what Citizen Love has been doing for 11 years," says Scott.
Spanish researcher Jose Javier Olivas also says that "Citizen Love's report does not meet research standards." Recently, the European Parliament announced that it will not investigate the Spanish government regarding the alleged operation of the Pegasus software, on the grounds that there is no evidence of illegal espionage. The Spanish newspaper 'Confidential' He wrote that "the great espionage scandal is quickly turning into a great bluff."
Citizen Love responded: "The accusations are ridiculous and based on claims that have been refuted. Companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple have corrected deficiencies that we found, and as a result, billions of devices around the world have become more secure. We were not involved in any way in whatever happened to Irina Zuckerman's Twitter account."
The full article - on Friday in the "Israel this week" supplement
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