New Delhi:
Israeli government agencies on Wednesday carried “inspection” on surveillance computer software vendor NSO Group “to examine” safety breach allegations against the company’s Pegasus spyware that was alleged to be utilised by many governments about the world to snoop on public figures and opposition leaders amongst other people.
The “inspection” was announced in a tweet by the Israel Ministry of Defence’s official account. “Representatives from a number of bodies came to NSO today to examine the publications and allegations raised in its case,” the ministry mentioned in a tweet in Hebrew.
Confirming the raid, NSO mentioned that it was confident that the inspection will prove the details as declared by the enterprise.
“We can confirm that representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Defense visited our offices. We welcome their inspection. The company is working in full transparency with the Israeli authorities. We are confident that this inspection will prove the facts are as declared repeatedly by the Company against the false allegations made against us in the recent media attacks,” NSO mentioned in a statement.
The developments come amid a probe by France more than allegations that President Emmanuel Macron and members of his government could have been targeted utilizing the NSO spyware computer software in 2019.
The alleged snooping came to light on July 18 when a consortium of 17 media organisations about the world published the investigation that the Israeli spyware was used to extract messages, records calls and secretly activates microphones of public figures.
According to The Wire, the Indian media outlet aspect of the international media consortium, phones of opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Supreme Court judges, ministers, and journalists have been amongst possible targets. The controversy has fuelled abrasive attacks on the government by the opposition and brought parliament to a gridlock.
The Indian government has been dismissive about the scandal, rejecting calls for a probe into the use of the spyware accessible only to governments and government agencies.