Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

Human Rights Watch says staffer was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware

Human Rights Watch says staffer was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware

The Israeli NSO Group’s technology has been used by governments to target political opponents, activists and journalists.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says one of its senior staff members was targeted five times last year with Pegasus, a spyware made by the Israeli company NSO Group.

The software was used against Lama Fakih, director of the New York-based group’s Beirut office who also oversees its crisis response in countries including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Israel, Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria and the United States, HRW said on Wednesday.

Fakih’s phone was breached five times between April and August of 2021, but the organisation said it did not know who targeted her.

The NSO Group, which does not disclose its client list, has been mired in controversy in recent years following investigations by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, along with several rights groups and media outlets, that found that the technology has been used by governments across the world to access the smartphones of political opponents, activists and journalists.


Recounting being notified by Apple in November 2021 that she had been a victim of a “state-sponsored” attack on her iPhone, Fakih said she “felt dread and disbelief”.

“You have a million thoughts going through your head. Why would I be targeted in this way and how? What government did this?” Fakih said in a Q&A published by HRW on Wednesday.

“What does this mean for my security and for the security of everyone whose data may have been compromised as a result of the attack?”

She said HRW later determined that her phone had been hacked using Pegasus. The conclusion was peer-reviewed and confirmed by Amnesty International’s Security Lab.

“After all this, we decided to make this state-sponsored attack public, in order to raise awareness of this risk to civil society partners and contacts more broadly,” Fakih said. “Speaking out about these attacks is critical to stopping the unchecked use of surveillance technology.”


The NSO Group’s software has proven particularly difficult to protect against because it uses so-called “zero-click” technology, meaning a user does not have to click on a malicious link for hackers to access their device.

Facebook and Apple have both filed lawsuits against the Israeli company over hacks against their products. The US, meanwhile, has blacklisted the company, saying its tools have been used by repressive governments, and barred it from using US-developed technology.

The company maintains it has safeguards in place to ensure its products are only used to target suspected criminals and “terrorists”.


In a January 24 letter made public by HRW, NSO Group said it was “not aware of any active customer” using the technology against a staff member of the rights watchdog.

The company said it was conducting an initial assessment to determine if an investigation would be launched, noting that the targeting of a rights group staffer would be a “serious misuse” of its technology if the individual was not suspected of committing a crime.

The firm has also expressed support for an “international regulatory structure” to constrain the use of spyware technology, but has shrugged off calls to suspend the use of Pegasus until one is created.

For her part, Fakih said “it is no accident that governments are using spyware to target activists and journalists, the very people who uncover their abusive practices”.

“They seem to believe that by doing so, they can consolidate power, muzzle dissent, and protect their manipulation of facts,” she said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
×