"Israel's NSO unleashes controversial spyware in Gaza conflict", 14 November 2023

The Israeli government appears to be turning to controversial spyware maker NSO Group to help track those kidnapped and murdered by Hamas in the last month, according to a source with direct knowledge of NSO's operations.

Why it matters: NSO has come under fire for providing governments with surveillance technology that they have later used to spy on journalists, dissidents and human rights activists.

• NSO is also undertaking an active lobbying campaign in the United States to get its technology removed from a new list banning federal agencies from using its spyware, as well as a U.S. trade blacklist.

What's happening: According to the NSO-linked source, several Israeli agencies are likely using Pegasus — a "zero-click" malware that can be snuck onto a target's device without them knowing — to help track people kidnapped by Hamas, as well as people who have gone missing during Hamas' attack last month...

...The source said they don't know whether the Israeli government has safeguards in place to ensure the technology won't be used for broad surveillance of the entire Palestinian population.

• Recent reports suggest that Pegasus has been used to spy on Palestinian human rights activists as recently as 2021. Another unidentified group also used Pegasus to spy on dozens of Al Jazeera reporters in 2020...

...The big picture: NSO's push to help in the war effort comes amid a wide-reaching, U.S.-based lobbying campaign to loosen restrictions.

• Timothy Dickinson, a lawyer at Paul Hastings LLP, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week on behalf of NSO requesting a meeting to "reaffirm the importance of NSO's technology" amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
• Recent disclosures filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, also show that NSO met with a handful of Republican Congressional aides between February and July this year, including staff members on the Senate and House intelligence committees, as well as the House Armed Services Committee.
• And NSO has hired Stewart Baker, a former NSA general counsel, and Jeff Weiss, a former Commerce official, to lobby on their behalf, according to a recent congressional lobbying disclosure...

Click here to view the letters that NSO Group's legal representative sent to Secretary Blinken.