Journalists around the world are being spied on, it was discovered.
Software from the Israeli company NSO Group, which is used by security agencies to track criminals and terrorists, has also been used to spy on activists, journalists and opposition figures around the world, the Washington Post reported.
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According to the Washington Post, nonprofits Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International gained access to a 2016 compilation of more than 50,000 phone numbers selected by NSO customers for possible surveillance. This information was then passed to media outlets, which began coordinating investigations and analysis of the list.
Although the names of the phone numbers on the list are not known, journalists have identified more than a thousand people from more than 50 countries. Among them are members of Saudi royal families, 65 businessmen, 85 human rights defenders, 189 journalists and more than 600 politicians and officials, including ministers, diplomats and military officers, even several heads of state and prime ministers.
The list includes phone numbers of reporters from CNN, Associated Press, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times of the US, Le Monde of France, as well as several other newspapers.
Information obtained from 37 smartphones raises doubts about the company's claims that it has threatened to prosecute customers for copyright infringement.
NSO Group also noted that the company serves the interests of 60 intelligence agencies, militaries and law enforcement forces in 40 countries, but did not disclose specific information.
