HIGHLIGHTS 

Pegasus enables operators to enter a target's mobile phone with ease.

The NSO Group has been under fire for Pegasus.

After identifying abuses, NSO Group claims it has cut off many clients.

WHY IN NEWS

On Tuesday, Israel's national police force announced that it had discovered evidence of its own investigators improperly using sophisticated spyware to snoop on Israeli citizens' phones. The disclosure came two weeks after an Israeli daily alleged that police had used the NSO Group's Pegasus software to monitor protestors, lawmakers, and criminal suspects without a judge's permission. In Israel, the storey sparked uproar, prompting the attorney general and legislators to initiate inquiries. Last month, police announced that a preliminary internal review revealed no evidence of the contentious malware being misused. However, police stated on Tuesday that a further investigation 'discovered fresh evidence that modifies key parts of the situation.'

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The report made no reference of NSO, implying that other Israeli companies' monitoring technology may be under investigation. There was no response from the firm.  The police have refuted the publication's conclusions, claiming that they follow the law.  In light of the police findings, Israel's outgoing attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, said he had urged the police to 'immediately implement protocols in order to prevent a breach of power.' Mandelblit, who finished his six-year tenure on Tuesday, also stated that he had directed his fact-finding team to deliver a report by July 1 on claims of illegal monitoring of citizens.

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The most well-known developer of offensive cyberware in Israel is NSO, although it is far from the only one. Pegasus, the company's flagship tool, allows operators to penetrate a target's phone and obtain access to its contents, including messages and contacts, as well as the device's location history. Pegasus has been tied to espionage on human rights activists, journalists, and politicians all across the world, and NSO has come under fire for it. The US Commerce Department placed NSO and an Israeli competitor, Candiru, on a blacklist in November, prohibiting them from utilising certain US technology, claiming that their tools had been used to 'conduct transnational repression.'

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 opposition protesters, Uganda-based US diplomats, and Finnish diplomats have all been named as confirmed or suspected targets. NSO does not name its clients, but claims that it only sells its goods to state security services after gaining permission from Israel's Defense Ministry. It claims that the goods are designed to be used against criminals and terrorists, and that strong measures have been put in place to avoid abuse. Despite this, it claims it has no influence over how its clients use the programme and has no idea who is being targeted. NSO claims to have cut off some customers after uncovering abuses, but, like other weapons manufacturers, it claims it cannot be held liable for the behaviour of its customers.