Israeli police used a notorious spyware company’s products to surveil and investigate citizens of their country, including political opponents of then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report published Tuesday. The targets, according to CTech, were high-profile: Israeli mayors, protest leaders who opposed Netanyahu, and former government employees, among others. Without obtaining warrants, the police reportedly employed the NSO Group’s Pegasus software to hack, manipulate, and pull data from the phones of citizens during widespread protests against the former prime minister that gained serious momentum in 2020. The powerful software also allowed police to listen to the targets’ calls. Netanyahu was ousted from the country’s top leadership position in June of 2021.
