The Pegasus Project, and How Did it Come About

The Pegasus Project is a collaborative investigation into NSO Group, an Israeli “cyber intelligence” company that sells sophisticated spyware to governments around the world. NSO Group insists that its mobile phone surveillance software, called Pegasus, is meant to help its clients combat crime and terrorism. But it has also been used to spy on journalists, activists, opposition politicians, and dissidents. After years of criticism, the secretive company has recently become more communicative, publicizing its commitment to human rights and even publishing a “Transparency and Responsibility Report” in June 2021. But the spyware intrusions haven’t stopped. That’s why more than 80 journalists,…