State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman says he will open an investigation into claims that the NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware was used against Israeli citizens, including protesters and activists.
An explosive report from the Calcalist business news outlet this morning said police have for years been making widespread use of the spyware against Israeli civilians, including people not suspected of crimes, exploiting a legal loophole and keeping the surveillance under tight secrecy without oversight by a court or a judge.
The use of such technological tracking “raises questions of balance between their usefulness and the violation of the right to privacy and other freedoms,” says Englman.
Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai did not deny that police used the spyware against Israeli citizens, but said some of the allegations were incorrect, and stressed that everything was done with the appropriate warrants and oversight.
Shabtai denied claims the technology was used against anti-Netanyahu protesters, local authorities and people opposed to pride parades.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
