UK to host Israeli spyware firm being sued over hacking claims
NSO Group will be hosted at closed Security and Policing trade fair in Hampshire next month
The British Government is to host an Israeli spyware firm being sued by WhatsApp as well as journalists and human rights activists in several courts around the world.
NSO Group, whose Pegasus software secretly infects phones to give the infiltrator near-total control and access, is being hosted at the closed Security and Policing trade fair in Hampshire next month.
Details of the invite were reported by The Guardian on Thursday, causing angst among campaigners who say the firm’s surveillance technology is used by repressive regimes to targets critics.
Three British residents are believed to have been targeted by NSO Group technology, including a satirist and critic of the Saudi regime, as well as a legal academic involved in a lawsuit against the group, which denies any wrongdoing.
The company, which was founded by figures linked to Israeli intelligence, is reportedly being investigated by the FBI, with messaging platform WhatsApp already having accused it of hacking 1,400 of its users.
Despite the growing concerns, the company has still been invited to exhibit at the three-day fair, where police and security officials from abroad come to view surveillance and crowd-control products.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
