Rights groups urge EU to ban NSO over clients’ use of Pegasus spyware

Dozens of human rights organisations have called on the European Union to impose global sanctions on NSO Group and take “every action” to prohibit the sale, transfer, export and import of the Israeli company’s surveillance technology.

The letter, signed by 86 organisations including Access Now, Amnesty International and the Digital Rights Foundation, cited recent allegations, reported by the Guardian and other publications, that NSO’s signature surveillance software, known as Pegasus, was used to hack the devices of six Palestinian human rights activists.

NSO has said that its technology, which has been sold to government clients around the world, is only meant to be used against serious criminals and terrorists. It has denied many of the allegations included in the Pegasus Project and has said it investigates credible claims of abuse of its software.