New disturbing discoveries, following initial revelations from the Israeli economic daily Calcalist, having prompted justice to open an investigation on January 20. According to the newspaper, the use of the Pegasus spy program had become common to gather intelligence by the police in Israel.
This software from the Israeli company NSO was allegedly used, without judicial authorization, once morest Avner Netanyahu, one of the sons of the former Prime Minister, but also his media advisers, leading journalists and mayors. “The information concerning Pegasus, if true, is very serious,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett reacted on Monday. We will not leave this unanswered. »
Last week, police admitted to using “warrantless” computer spy technology, but did not directly name Pegasus. “From ministers’ cabinet directors, to journalists and businessmen: the mass Pegasus infection has affected everyone, from disability and Ethiopian rights activists, to corporate executives, to mayors and to those close to the Prime Minister”, underlines the daily.
“Restore public trust”
These revelations caused a shock wave. Israeli Police Commander Yaakov Shabtai said in a statement that he had asked Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev to create an external and independent investigation to “restore public confidence” and “regulate the use of technology by the police”.
“Testimony indicates that the breaches, if any, took place under previous police chiefs, public safety ministers and governments,” the minister said in a statement. The latter undertakes that “the commission examines the allegations in depth”.
“If this information is correct, it is an earthquake, facts that suit the obscure regimes of the previous century which we must not resemble,” denounced the Minister of the Interior Ayelet Shaked. President Isaac Herzog meanwhile hinted that the credibility of the institutions was at stake. “We must not lose our democracy. We must not lose our police. And we certainly must not lose the public’s trust in them,” he said.
NSO stands back from the scandal
Last week, other Israeli media claimed that police were suspected of hacking into the phone of a key witness in Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial.
Israeli cybersecurity group NSO, which owns Pegasus, has neither denied nor confirmed the sale of the software to the police, stressing that it was “in no way involved in the operation of the system once sold to government customers.” “.
NSO found itself exposed in 2021 following investigations published by a consortium of 17 international media claiming that its software had been used to spy on the phones of journalists, politicians including heads of state, activists and leaders. business in different countries.
