Justice minister: No indications yet that claims of police spying are true
But Gideon Sa’ar notes that he has yet to receive final findings from ongoing investigations over alleged illicit hacking of Israeli citizens
Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Monday there had not yet been any indication that reports by the Calcalist newspaper alleging that police used spyware to illicitly hack the phones of government officials, activists and journalists were true.
He noted, however, that he had not yet received the final findings from ongoing investigations into the allegations, as the state prosecution continues its probe into the matter.
On Sunday, former police commissioner Roni Alsheich denied that the police had access to NSO Group’s powerful Pegasus cyber-surveillance program as alleged by Calcalist — the first direct comment on the specific spyware program by a current or former police official.
“The Israel Police doesn’t have Pegasus,” he said, speaking onstage at a conference at Reichman University. “Someone will pay for this spin.”
His statements contradict multiple media reports on alleged police use of the hacking tool.
The Pegasus program is capable of giving its user complete control over a target’s device, providing access to all data on the phone as well as allowing the user to activate the phone’s camera or microphone without the target knowing.
The police have not officially commented on the purported use of NSO’s Pegasus, while confirming they are in possession of cyber-surveillance programs. However, officials have maintained that any use of such software was proper and court-approved.
The claims of widespread police use of Pegasus have chiefly come from a series of investigative reports by the Calcalist newspaper.
Alsheich, under whom, Calcalist said, police began widely abusing the powerful surveillance tool, said these are capabilities that the police are not allowed to have.
“Police can only do wiretapping or, if they physically have the phone, searches,” he said.
Asked what kind of judicial oversight exists to ensure that police do not exceed their authority, Alsheich said “the oversight is crazy, and that’s completely justified.”
“That doesn’t mean there can’t be mishaps, but a total breakdown — no,” he said.
After Calcalist, in an unsourced report last Monday, named 26 people it said were illicitly spied on by police, an internal police probe handed to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last Tuesday claimed only three of them had been targeted, only one successfully, and all with judicial oversight.
The Times of Israel Community.