- The Washington Post and 16 media partners discovered that NSO Group (Israeli firm) leased military-grade spyware (‘Pegasus’) to governments that hacked 37 smartphones belonging to activists and journalists, including women close to Jamal Khashoggi.
- 34 of the 37 hacked phones were iPhones, undermining its reputation for thwarting hacking attempts.
- The discovery debases NSO’s claims that it restricts Pegasus’ to surveilling terrorists and criminals.
- The 37 hacked numbers appeared on a list of 50,000 concentrated in countries known to heavily spy on their citizens.
