Politician who investigated spyware abuses had his phone hacked with Pegasus
A politician who had been investigating abuses of spyware was himself targeted and had his phone hacked using the Pegasus spyware, highlighting the risks faced by those probing surveillance technology misuse.
Background
- Pegasus is a powerful spyware made by the Israeli company NSO Group. It can infect smartphones (both iOS and Android) without the victim clicking anything, giving the attacker full access to messages, calls, camera, microphone, and location data.
- It has been used by governments around the world to surveil journalists, human rights lawyers, activists, and political opponents — often illegally.
- The article refers to a politician who was part of a parliamentary committee (e.g., in the European Parliament or a national legislature) investigating abuses of Pegasus and similar spyware. That politician was later found to have been infected with Pegasus themselves, suggesting that the very people being investigated turned the same tool against the investigator.
- This matters because it shows how easily surveillance technology intended for counterterrorism and crime-fighting can be turned against democratic oversight itself. It also underscores the difficulty of prosecuting spyware abuse when the perpetrators control powerful state apparatuses.