French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an official excuse from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after the Pegasus spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group during a telephone conversation Saturday.
Among its apparent hacking victims, French President Macron calls for a "probe Into Israeli spyware Pegasus," produced by NSO Group and licensed to foreign governments only with the approval of the Israeli government. https://t.co/YEfVEZ9Vi1 pic.twitter.com/ZqQaI8gpj4
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) July 21, 2021
Israeli Channel 12 said Macron expressed discomfort about reports that his mobile phone and others of French government officials were compromised. Bennett promised an investigation at the highest level would be launched but noted the incident occurred before he assumed office.
It was alleged that at least 10 governments -- including Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Hungary, India and the United Arab Emirates -- were customers of the NSO Group and spyware was used to target activists, journalists, lawyers and politicians.
The French President Macron chaired an urgent national security meeting on Thursday morning to discuss the use of Pegasus spyware and cybersecurity.
— Karthik (@KeezhadiVaarisu) July 23, 2021
But in India, Govt's response - It is an attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions.
WTF#Pegasus pic.twitter.com/zOf21G4Kcs
The spyware can reportedly turn a phone into a surveillance device in which messages, cameras, audio recordings and applications could be accessed.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
