The forbidden Stories organization, as well as 17 newsrooms, reveal the excesses in the use of spyware from the Israeli company NSO Group, Pegasus, which was allegedly used by states to target politicians, journalists, lawyers...

The Pegasus software has been used on behalf of a dozen states, and a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers has been discovered. In France, more than 1,000 people would be affected, targeted via Morocco. This software is only marketed to states or government agencies, with the approval of the Israeli government. Forbidden Stories had access to a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers, entered by a dozen NSO customers into the system that activates Pegasus. The organization then shared this list, which runs for several years after 2016, with an international consortium formed with several media. For several months, nearly 80 journalists analyzed these phone numbers and identified many of their owners, in about fifty countries. These revelations show that cyber surveillance is widespread, and that it concerns all types of countries. Mexico, India, Morocco - which would practice significant listening to French - or Hungary, are thus pointed out.