Thread by @saikatd

For readers in India, a critical story breaking from @tomer_ganon of the @calcalist in Israel. Turns our #Pegasus was also used by Israeli Police to target not only activists and journalists, but also CEOs and politicians. #thread #surveillance

https://twitter.com/tomer_ganon/status/1490549230901116928

Here is an English report published in the @haaretzcom that details the @calcalist story for readers in India. Some of the names on the list will stun you.
haaretz.com/israel-news/ca…

According to the Israeli media report, even the son of former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu became an unwilling target as his phone was infected. The phone was occasionally being used by the PM's wife. Imagine the level of security breach.

While the media and activists are usual targets of such #surveillance, they also target CEOs, prominent businessmen, and even very senior civil servants including those from the Finance and Foreign Ministries
haaretz.com/israel-news/ca…

As my friend and senior journalist @AnshelPfeffer wrote in his column last week, Israel and Israelis DID NOT CARE about Pegasus UNTIL it has come back to haunt them. Clearly, #cyberweapons and #surveillance won't spare anyone
haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…

What do these revelations in Israel mean for India. It is useful to see the depositions made to the Supreme Court-appointed probe committee that is looking into the #Pegasus issue here:
pegasus-india-investigation.in/depositions/

Experts like @iam_anandv who deposed in front of the committee examine the logs of at least two phones that were infected. The logs (both Apple phones) had logs that can't be unedited. In those logs he found clear trail to #Pegasus servers deployed by NSO
pegasus-india-investigation.in/depositions/an…

Here is another deposition by Prof Sandeep Shukla of IIT, K who also described how #pegasus infects the phone and compromises every of the phone:
pegasus-india-investigation.in/depositions/sa…

Earlier, the @nytimes had a detailed report based on a year-long investigation that exposed how Israel used NSO to hawk #pegasus for short-term diplomatic gains. India, the report claimed, bought #pegasus for as part of a nearly $2 billion defence deal
nytimes.com/2022/01/28/mag…

The Supreme Court-appointed committee is looking into not only the use of #pegasus against journalists and activists and even political leaders, it is also tasked with suggesting ways to ensure #surveillance reforms in India. See SC's Terms of Reference:
main.sci.gov.in/pdf/LU/2710202…

The Supreme Court was also clear that Nationa Security cannot be grounds to deny an investigation. This undermines India's democracy:
indianexpress.com/article/india/….

In Israel, my friend and one of the top journalists there, @Nadav_Eyal wrote a column in @YediotAhronot, the country's biggest newspaper, on how #pegasus is now creating a major #diplomatic crisis for Israel by undermining democracies in allies like India:
m.yediot.co.il/Articles/60734…