The NSO Group’s software, Pegasus, is widely considered to be the most effective spyware in the world, originally created by the Israeli company to track terrorists and drug cartels through smartphones. A yearlong investigation recently published by the New York Times Magazine has found that despite also being used against human rights activists, journalists, and dissidents in other countries, the F.B.I. (in a deal never reported until recently) purchased and tested the spyware in 2019. They also discussed using a newer product, Phantom, for domestic use inside the United States but they ultimately decided against it.
F.B.I. Secretly Bought Israeli Spyware and Explored Hacking U.S. Phones
