Attorney general opens investigation into police use of NSO spyware against Israelis
Mandelblit instructs police chief to hand over warrants for phone tapping; cops have repeatedly said no rules broken, but don’t deny using controversial spyware
By TOI staff
20 January 2022
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit told the chief of police Thursday that he will open an investigation into claims police used spyware made by the controversial NSO Group to break into Israelis’ phones. Mandelblit informed Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai of the investigation, to be led by Deputy Attorney General Amit Marari. Mandelblit asked Shabtai to hand over all warrants for tapping phones from 2020-2021 for the investigation.
The Calcalist business news outlet first reported on Tuesday that police have for years been making widespread use of NSO’s Pegasus spyware against Israeli civilians, including people not suspected of any crimes, exploiting a legal loophole and keeping the surveillance under tight secrecy, without oversight by a court or a judge. The explosive report sparked an outcry from lawmakers, activists and privacy experts.
more............ https://www.timesofisrael.com/attor...o-police-use-of-nso-spyware-against-israelis/
Mandelblit instructs police chief to hand over warrants for phone tapping; cops have repeatedly said no rules broken, but don’t deny using controversial spyware
By TOI staff
20 January 2022
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit told the chief of police Thursday that he will open an investigation into claims police used spyware made by the controversial NSO Group to break into Israelis’ phones. Mandelblit informed Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai of the investigation, to be led by Deputy Attorney General Amit Marari. Mandelblit asked Shabtai to hand over all warrants for tapping phones from 2020-2021 for the investigation.
The Calcalist business news outlet first reported on Tuesday that police have for years been making widespread use of NSO’s Pegasus spyware against Israeli civilians, including people not suspected of any crimes, exploiting a legal loophole and keeping the surveillance under tight secrecy, without oversight by a court or a judge. The explosive report sparked an outcry from lawmakers, activists and privacy experts.
more............ https://www.timesofisrael.com/attor...o-police-use-of-nso-spyware-against-israelis/
