Pegasus Spyware | The Dalai Lama and his entourage were targeted

Coralie Laplante
Tap

Information that the Government of India has requested to access the data of the Tibetan spiritual leader. The Dalai Lama does not have a personal phone, Pegasus Instead, he went through the advisory equipment in his inner circle.

New Delhi has reportedly targeted the phone of Tibetan President Lobsang Sange, who is in exile in India, as well as other clerics and activists in the exiled Buddhist community in the country.

India’s surveillance of Tibetan leaders illustrates Tibet’s growing importance in Asian politics Guardian. This is a testament to the tensions between the Indian government and Tibetan diaspora, the newspaper said.

From Sunday, Pegasus Makes a lot of noise. Journalistic investigation by 17 international media has shed light on the grip of software created by the Israeli company NSO.

A total of 180 journalists, 600 politicians, 85 human rights activists and 65 business leaders were affected, according to an analysis by the media consortium. Many are targeted in Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

The Dalai Lama case “shows the curvature of this software,” said Karine Gentellet, a Canadian spokeswoman for Amnesty International, a professor at the University of Quebec in Abbott and Abiona-ENS chairperson. Artificial intelligence and social justice.

“We are not only discovering the scope of surveillance, it is on the networks, not on the people, and this is a fact of surveillance generalized by the states,” M said.^{To me} Gentlelet, in an interview Tap.

“Laws Required”

Among the victims were relatives of French President Emmanuel Macron and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who were assassinated in 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International received a list of 50,000 phone numbers monitored by NSO customers, which were sent to the consortium.

It is difficult to know if the phone is affected Pegasus, Explained Karen Gentlelet. When a device clicks on a malicious link by its owner, it can also be infected by infiltrating malicious apps. Photos, videos, emails, internet history, GPS data and calls are available to the software owner.

NSO claims to have sold Pegasus To more than forty countries by agreement of Israeli authorities. The company’s investigation revealed that the software was used only to obtain information about criminals and terrorists.

According to Karen Gentellet, Pegasus The problem of collective surveillance and the “imbalance of democratic processes” as many political opponents are systematically monitored.

A spokesman for Amnesty International said “laws are needed” to regulate the technology. “Surveillance is huge, and it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

Morocco files defamation suit

Morocco, after allegations of using the software Pegasus, Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories’ brought a defamation suit before the Paris Criminal Court, unveiling a press release from the country’s attorney sent to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“The state of Morocco wants to immediately seize French justice because it wants to shed all light on the false allegations of these two institutions, which will bring matters to the fore without conclusive and substantiated evidence,” said attorney Oliver Baratelli.

The first trial is set for October, but the AFP has said it will not hold a two-year trial. As of Monday, Rabat has denied using it Pegasus.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also denied the allegations.

Parliamentary Inquiry in Israel

The Israeli parliament on Thursday set up a commission to investigate the allegations Pegasus The Israeli deputy revealed that “inappropriate” was being used to spy on some people.

“At the end of the investigation […]”We will assess whether we need to make corrections,” said Ram Ben-Barak, who heads Israel’s foreign affairs and defense committee on military radio.

At the same time, Emmanuel Macron held a meeting with the Extraordinary Security Council to address the issue of spyware and cybersecurity.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called for better control of spyware sales. “It’s very important,” she told a news conference that such software “does not fall into the wrong hands.”

An investigation has also been launched in Hungary.

With Agence France-Presse