TEL AVIV (Washington Insider Magazine) – Israel’s justice ministry has promised a thorough inquiry into accusations that the infamous Pegasus spyware has been used on Israeli civilians, including those who joined anti-Benjamin Netanyahu protests.
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli police strongly refuted a claim by the business newspaper Calcalist that Pegasus, an Israeli surveillance tool developed by NSO, was utilized on residents at the frontline of last year’s anti-Netanyahu riots, as well as reporters and dissidents around the world.
At a parliamentary court hearing on Wednesday, Israel’s Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar said there was an enormous difference between the report and the police’s testimonies, and also that the attorney general was also looking into the claims made in the article.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said on Tuesday that the latest Pegasus claims would be included in his ongoing probe into law enforcement’s usage of spying technologies.
According to Englman, the examination will look into the proper balance between the utility of surveillance techniques in investigations and privacy infractions.
Most of the charges, according to Public Security Minister Omar Barlev, a Netanyahu opponent who was appointed as part of a new administration that deposed Netanyahu in June last year, were simply false.
With judicial authorization, Israeli security personnel have broad authority to conduct surveillance throughout the country.
Barlev went on to say that the attorney general had instructed the police to react formally to the examples in the article on Tuesday.
Following reports last year that it has been used to spy on reporters and dissidents around the world, Pegasus, which could also turn a cell phone into a secret eavesdropping device, has stirred global uproar.
The Israeli defense ministry, which is responsible for approving all exports of Israeli-made defense industry items, has also launched a probe into Pegasus sales abroad.
The United States has banned the NSO from using American technology, claiming that its services have been utilized by authoritarian regimes.
In response to the allegations, NSO stated that it was unable to confirm or deny the existence of any existing or future customers. It claims it neither operates nor is engaged in the operation of the system after it is sold to federal customers.
According to those familiar with the situation, the business was weighing alternatives in December last year, including shutting down its contentious Pegasus division and liquidating the entire corporation.
Apple has filed a lawsuit against NSO, trying to prevent the spyware company from utilizing its items and services, and has said that it will begin notifying users who have been victimized by state-sponsored espionage.
