Paris: Hungary, Israel and Algeria on charges of investigating Thursday that Israeli spyware was used in journalists, rights activists, and 14 heads of state, as French leader Emmanuel Macron ordered more stringent security and turned his cellphone with espionage.
President Macron – whose name is in the target list suspected – ordered “strengthening all security protocols” after the special meeting of the National Defense Council, his office said.
Macron “has changed his cellphone and the number for certain exchanges”, he said.
Pegasus NSO Group software – can turn on the camera or cellphone microphone and harvest the data – is in a growing storm center after a list of around 50,000 potential supervision targets leaked to rights groups.
Amnesty International and French Media Forbidden Stories Collaborate with Media Company Clutches, including Washington Post, The Guardian and Le Monde, to analyze and publish lists.
The widening scandal is drawing in countries from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to Morocco, India and a number of other developing countries.
Hungary is the only EU country listed as a potential spyware user, with hundreds of targets including journalists, lawyers and other public figures.
Hungarian prosecutor said on Thursday they have opened an investigation “to establish facts and to determine whether and, if so, what crime has occurred”, said the Budapest Regional Office Prosecutor’s Office.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has insisted on the government “has no knowledge of data collection like that”, while some criticism shrinks it as a maneuver to waste time.
“They have years to investigate whether they want …
this is just an administrative step,” said Andras Lederer from the Helsinki Committee for human rights.
NSO confirms the software is only intended to be used in fighting terrorism and other crimes, and it exported to 45 countries, with the approval of the Israeli government.
The Israeli government said it had established a commission to review the software.
His priority is “To review all of this giving a license,” Member of the RAM Mind, former deputy head of Mossad’s spy agency, told military radio.
Pegasus has “exposed many terror cells”, he said, but “if it is misused or sold to an irresponsible body, this is something we need to check”.
NSO will be “very happy if there is an investigation, so we can clear our name”, Chief Executive Shalev Hulio told military radio on Thursday.
The Algerian public prosecutor also ordered an investigation into media reports that the North African state might be targeted.
“Spyware NSO is a weapon of choice for repressive governments who try to silence journalists, attack activists, and destroy differences of opinion,” said Chairman of Amnesty Agnes Callamard.
Evidence of a hacking trial was found on the telephone ex-Environment Minister of France and closed Ally Macron Francois de Rugy, with the effort allegedly originating from Marco, according to media reports.
Morocco sued amnesty and forbidden stories in France and “did not intend to let some false lies and news spread the last few days was not punished”, said Olivier Baratelli, a lawyer for the government.
The first trial was set for October 8, even though the trial might not be open for two years.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, rejected allegations of their involvement.
The UAE Foreign Ministry on Thursday said the allegations were “firmly wrong” and “did not have a verification base”.
The official Saudi Arabia spa news agency reported the official source said “such allegations were not true, and that the policy (state) did not forgive these practices”.