Israel Police: We Used Spyware in Legally Questionable Ways

The Israel Police on Tuesday said there were “anomalies” in its electronic surveillance of citizens, calling into question the legality of some of its information collection. Rights groups have accused the Jewish state’s national police force of improperly using the Pegasus spyware produced by the NSO Group, an Israeli cybersecurity firm that has come under fire for alleged misuse of the software by its clients abroad. The Israeli Attorney-General’s Office ordered a probe into police surveillance tactics on Jan. 20. The police at the time denied any wrongdoing. But the force’s deputy chief of investigations and intelligence, Yoav Telem, told a parliamentary oversight committee that inquiries uncovered “automatic technological anomalies” that led to the gathering of materials “over which there is a legal debate.” The Israeli business newspaper Calcalist reported last month that police had used Pegasus to target anti-government protest leaders, among others, sometimes without receiving legally required court warrants.

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