PRAGUE, Czech Republic – After accusations that Israeli spyware was used to hack the smartphones of journalists, government officials, and rights campaigners throughout the world, the European Commission chief stated on Monday that using spyware against journalists is “completely unacceptable.” “What we’ve seen thus far, and this needs to be validated, but if true, it’s simply inappropriate. Regardless of the restrictions in place in the European Union, “During a visit to Prague, Ursula von der Leyen noted.
“One of the EU’s key values is the freedom of the press. If this (hacking) is the case, it is utterly intolerable.” According to a report released on Sunday by 17 news organizations, Israeli spyware was employed in the attempted and successful hacking of 37 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, and human rights advocates. The inquiry did not indicate who tried the attacks or why they were undertaken, according to Reuters. NSO, the business that licenses the malware, claims that it is only for government intelligence and law enforcement organizations to employ in the fight against terrorism and crime.
On its website, the corporation denied the reporting of the 17 media partners organized by the Paris-based journalistic group Forbidden Stories.
(Robert Muller contributed reporting, and Jan Lopatka wrote the piece.)
Gareth Jones and Mark Heinrich edited the piece.)/n
