Probe Finds Israel Police Did Not Use NSO Spyware Illegally

The Israel Police did not use the NSO company’s Pegasus spyware illegally, a criminal investigation has found, according to an announcement on Monday. The investigation, led by Deputy Attorney-General Amit Merari also included participation of the Shin Bet and the Mossad. The probe investigated 26 names included in a report by the Israeli business site Calcalist, which said that the cellphones of the Isareli civilians were illegally hacked by the spyware.

Among those that were reported to have been targeted by police with the spyware are leaders of political protests against former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, local mayors, former government employees, and a person close to a senior politician, according to the Calcalist report, which did not include any named sources.

“The technological probe showed that there was no indication that the Israel Police used the Pegasus system without a judicial warrant to hack into the cellphones of any of the people on the list published in the media,” the report on the investigation said, according to reports.

NSO has come under scrutiny following reports that its Pegasus spyware has been used by certain governments around the world to spy on human rights activists, politicians and journalists.