Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

No 10 accused of failing to act against states accused of NSO spyware abuses

No 10 accused of failing to act against states accused of NSO spyware abuses

Group of 10 MPs and peers say Boris Johnson’s government has prioritised trade over national security

Boris Johnson’s government has been accused by MPs of prioritising trade agreements over national security in its handling of surveillance abuses on British soil by governments using spyware made by the Israeli company NSO Group.

A letter to the British prime minister signed by 10 MPs and peers has called on the government to end its cybersecurity programmes with countries that are known to have used NSO spyware to target dissidents, journalists and lawyers, among others, and to impose sanctions on NSO, “if they are at all serious about our national security”.

NSO is regulated by the Israeli defence ministry and sells its powerful Pegasus spyware to governments around the world. While the spyware is meant to be used by the governments to track criminals and terrorists, experts have documented dozens of cases in which NSO clients have abused the surveillance tool to use it against their own perceived enemies.

The letter was sent to Johnson as news broke in Israel that Isaac Benbenisti, who was serving as chief executive officer-designate of the company, had resigned, citing a decision by the Biden administration last week to place NSO on a US blacklist. Benbenisti, an NSO co-president, was named in the top role on 31 October but had yet to start. NSO declined to comment on the resignation.

Since 2019 researchers have documented a string of cases in which governments used NSO spyware to hack the phones of individuals in the UK. Targets whose phones were confirmed to have been hacked include Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, ex-wife of Dubai’s ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum; five of Haya’s lawyers, including Fiona Shackleton; the late Emirati activist Alaa Al-Siddiq; Bahraini activists living as refugees in the UK; and the Saudi satirist Ghanem Almasarir, a frequent critic of Saudi’s royal family. Governments who use the spyware against UK-based targets are believed to include the UAE and Bahrain. It has been reported that NSO no longer allows clients to target UK-based phone numbers.

“The UK government’s credibility has been shot to pieces by its handling of the NSO surveillance scandal – a credibility already damaged by their cybersecurity programmes with Gulf states implicated in human rights abuses,” said the Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran. “Prioritising free trade deals with countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE must not mean handing them a blank cheque to commit abuses on UK soil with impunity.”

The Pegasus project, an investigation into NSO by a consortium of journalists led by the French non-profit Forbidden Stories, and which included the Guardian, found dozens of British mobile phone numbers on a leaked list of potential surveillance targets of NSO clients. They included Roula Khalaf, the editor of the Financial Times, and Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy.

It is not known whether Khalaf or Alwadaei’s phones were successfully hacked by governments using Pegasus, though forensic analysis of dozens of phones on the leaked list were later found to have been infected by the spyware or contained traces of it following analysis by Amnesty International’s security lab.

NSO has denied that the leaked list represents individuals who were targeted by its clients and has said it investigates credible allegations of abuse.

Alwadaei said that as someone whose mobile appeared on the Pegasus project list, it was difficult to describe the “pain of knowing that NSO’s malicious spyware may have put my family, loved ones and those who trusted me to defend their human rights at risk”.

He was equally shocked that the UK had not sought to censure those governments who have been accused of perpetrating the abuse and contrasted British policy with that of the Biden administration.

“The US has taken action and blacklisted this dangerous organisation; Boris Johnson should follow their example by sanctioning NSO and halting exports of surveillance equipment to abusive Gulf states,” he said.

Andy Slaughter, the Labour MP for Hammersmith, said: “The use of NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware by Gulf regimes against UK residents and nationals, including members of the House of Lords and refugees living under British protection, poses a threat to our national security and reveals the contempt with which our so-called allies in the Gulf view our laws. As well as immediately sanctioning NSO Group, the government must investigate the harms caused by these hacking operations and ensure consequences, starting with a fundamental reassessment of their relationship with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE.”

In their letter, the MPs said the cyber-attacks represented “egregious breaches of domestic and international human rights law”, which prohibit “arbitrary or unlawful interference” with an individual’s correspondence.

“We are concerned that your government has failed to publicly condemn the actions of either NSO Group or the Saudi, Emirati, or Bahraini governments or take substantive action to protect UK nationals and residents, including those living under British protection as refugees, from cyber-attacks,” the letter stated.

It also called for the suspension of all UK spyware licences and cybersecurity contracts with Gulf nations implicated in cyber-attacks in the UK, namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, pending an independent investigation. Signatories include Brendan O’Hara, Paula Barker, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Richard Burgon, Martyn Day, Paul Scriven, Natalie Bennett and Jenny Jones.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
×