The disclosure of the public departure of Juliette Kayyem a highprofile national security expert and Harvard professor, as a senior adviser to NSO came just l day after a controvrsy ovr her role at the spyware group prompted Harvard to cancel an online seminar she was due to host
A former Obama administration official who has faced criticism from press freedom groups for her role as a senior adviser at NSO Group
The “webinar”, which was focused on female journalist safety, was cancelled after officials from the Committee to Protect Journalists, among others, criticised Kayyem’s work for NSO
Ahmed Zidan, CPJ’s digital manager, said in a tweet that the former Homeland Security official’s role at the event was akin to inviting a “coal executive to talk about renewable energy”.
Ahmed Zidan, CPJ’s digital manager, said in a tweet that the former Homeland Security official’s role at the event was akin to inviting a “coal executive to talk about renewable energy”.
The company has said its technology is only intended to be used to fight crime and that it investigates allegations of wrongdoing by customers who license its technology.
NSO has faced allegations that its technology has been used to target members of civil society. WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, is suing NSO in a US court and has alleged that the company’s spyware was used to hack 1,400 of its users over a two-week period last year.
But a person familiar with the matter said the the event’s organizers had not been familiar with Kayyem’s connection to NSO until after it was pointed out by critics on Twitter.
