French President, Emmanuel Macron, Is on the list of potential targets for Pegasus software, which some states have used to spy on personalities, according to revelations released yesterday, which also target other leaders around the world.

(Background: Israeli software has helped spy on journalists around the world)

On Monday, the media exposed the corruption of the Mexican president’s environment, Andres Manuel Lopez ObradorAlthough he refused to take legal action yesterday, it would have been a goal.

Journalists’ Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International Association list of 50,000 selected phone numbers from 2016 by Israeli group NSO’s clients, created by Pegasus, For ultimate tracking Spy plan.

Both companies shared the list with a global consortium of 17 media; Among them, The Washington Post, The Guardian And Mexicans Process Y Aristequi News, Who revealed their presence on Sunday.

Newspaper The world Y Radio France, Two members of the federation revealed yesterday that the phone number of the French president, a user of the Pegasus, was “on the list of numbers selected by the Moroccan state security service”.

“We found these phone numbers, but we were unable to conduct a technical investigation into Emmanuel Macron’s phone,” the director explained, to verify that it was infected with the software. Prohibited stories, Laurent Richard.

Therefore, “it does not tell us whether the President actually spied, but it does show that he was interested in doing so in any case,” Richard added.

“If the facts are confirmed, it is clear that they are very serious. We will clarify these press releases,” the French president promised.

The Paris Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that it would open an investigation into the spying on the portal’s French journalists. Mediapart And weekly Duck tied with a chain Due to the Moroccan secret services, the Moroccan government has denied any involvement in this spy affair, which also affects the enemy.

The list of rulers who have become targets of the Pegasus includes former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and several French ministers and representatives.

Beyond France, King of MoroccoThe list includes Mohammed VI and his entourage, along with two other presidents, Burham Saleh of Iraq and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa. Washington Post.

Three prime ministers and seven former heads of government in Pakistan, Egypt and Morocco have been targeted; Among them were Lebanese Chad Hariri and Belgian Charles Michael.

Mexico targets criminals

In Mexico, Lopez Obrador, at his traditional press conference yesterday, stressed that the spying efforts of current officials are aimed at organized crime, not anti-government protests.

“Intelligence is about fighting crime and protecting citizens, not spying on enemies or political leaders, party leaders, big business owners, churches,” he said.

Phones of relatives and collaborators of Lopez O’Brien, who has been in power since December 2018, are said to have intervened using the scheme between 2016 and 2017. Aristotle News.

Similar interruptions occurred when the left-wing president led the opposition to the presidency. Enrique Pena Nieto (2012-2018), a once dominant PRI, according to this website.

However, the current president has refused to take legal action, citing a document that he has been spying on since the 1970s.

Despite assurances from the media team investigating the conspiracy Pegasus license in Mexico Expired in 2017, Lopez Obrador promised to check that no company continues to work with that software.

The list of phones also includes Mexican reporter Cecilio Pineta, who was murdered in 2017. Relatives and human rights defenders of 43 students who went missing in 2014 were targeted in Ayodhya.

The list included the telephone numbers of more than 600 government officials and politicians from 34 countries. In addition to the countries where the phone numbers of top leaders appeared, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, China, Congo, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, Qatar, Rwanda. , Saudi Arabia, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

According to security researchers and marketing materials at NSO, Pegasus is designed to collect personal files, photos, call logs, location logs, communications and other data from smartphones, and can trigger cameras and microphones for real-time monitoring. In important moments.

These attacks can often occur without the target receiving any warning or taking any action. Pegasus has slipped into iPhone and Android devices, and the surveillance department can take control of smartphones calling for “zero click” attacks.

International Drafting
* With information from AFP

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