NSO Group Spyware Victims Mapped: Digital Violence Platform

Mapping the Reach of Pegasus Spyware: A New Digital Violence Platform

For the first time, a comprehensive mapping has been completed detailing the known individuals targeted by Pegasus, spyware created by the NSO Group. These targets include journalists, human rights advocates, and activists.

Investigative Methodology and Findings

Researchers at Forensic Architecture, affiliated with Goldsmiths, University of London, undertook a detailed investigation into human rights violations. They analyzed reports from various human rights organizations, conducted open-source intelligence gathering, and directly interviewed numerous victims.

This research revealed over a thousand data points, illustrating connections between digital surveillance conducted by governmental clients of NSO Group and subsequent real-world intimidation, harassment, and violence experienced by the targeted individuals.

Nation-State Involvement and Networked Targeting

The researchers’ bespoke platform demonstrates how nation-states utilizing Pegasus often extend their surveillance to networks of contacts. This includes targeting the families, friends, and colleagues of the primary targets, alongside instances of assault, arrest, and disinformation campaigns.

While the current dataset represents only a fraction of the total Pegasus usage, the project aims to equip researchers and investigators with valuable tools and data concerning NSO Group’s global operations, information the company actively attempts to conceal.

Pegasus: Capabilities and Global Reach

Developed by Israel-based NSO Group, Pegasus grants its government customers almost unrestricted access to a victim’s device. This includes personal data and precise location tracking.

NSO Group has consistently refused to disclose its clientele, though reports suggest contracts with at least 45 countries, including Rwanda, Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates – all nations with documented histories of human rights abuses – as well as several Western countries, such as Spain.

The Digital Frontier of Human Rights Violations

Shourideh Molavi, the lead researcher at Forensic Architecture, emphasized that these findings highlight how the digital realm has become a new arena for human rights infringements. It represents a space for state surveillance and intimidation that directly facilitates physical harm.

The platform visually illustrates the timelines of how victims are subjected to both digital spying and physical violence as part of coordinated government efforts to suppress dissent.

Case Study: Omar Abdulaziz

Omar Abdulaziz, a Saudi activist and video blogger residing in Montreal, experienced a Pegasus hack in 2018. This occurred shortly before Saudi officials attempted to persuade him to return to the kingdom.

Following the hack, two of Abdulaziz’s brothers were arrested in Saudi Arabia, and his associates were detained. He was also a close contact of Jamal Khashoggi, and information from his Twitter account – obtained by a Saudi spy – was used to monitor his communications with the journalist.

Case Study: Carmen Aristegui

Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui was also a target, with her phone being hacked multiple times between 2015 and 2016, likely by a Mexican government entity. Her son, Emilio, a minor at the time residing in the United States, was also targeted.

The hacking intensified after Aristegui and her colleagues exposed corruption involving then-President Enrique Peña Nieto. Aristegui noted the severity of targeting a child, stating it demonstrates the extent of state abuse.

The Impact on Journalistic Integrity

Aristegui stated that “digital violence” significantly damages journalistic responsibility and hinders a society’s ability to remain informed.

NSO Group’s Corporate Structure and Investment

The platform incorporates recent findings from Amnesty International, detailing NSO Group’s complex corporate structure. This network of companies is used to obscure its customers and activities.

Forensic Architecture’s platform also traces the private investment received by NSO Group since its founding in 2015, which likely facilitated sales to governments restricted by Israeli export regulations.

Pegasus as a Weapon of Occupation

Eyal Weizman, director of Forensic Architecture, argued that Pegasus should be considered a weapon developed within Israel’s military-industrial complex, in the context of the ongoing Israeli occupation. He expressed concern over its export and use in enabling human rights violations globally.

Transparency Report Criticisms

The launch of this platform coincided with NSO Group’s release of its first “transparency report,” which was widely criticized by human rights advocates and security researchers as lacking substantial detail. Amnesty International characterized it as a “sales brochure.”

NSO Group’s Response

NSO Group stated it cannot comment on research it hasn’t reviewed but claims to investigate all credible misuse allegations and take appropriate action.

The company maintains its technology is not used for surveillance within the United States and declined to identify its government customers.

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