Technology developed to track spread of coronavirus could be abused, privacy campaigner warns

A medical privacy campaigner says technology developed to track the spread of COVID-19 is a new form of surveillance that could be abused. Phil Booth, coordinator at MedConfidential, warned that increased monitoring of wastewater from sinks, drains and toilets, which Read More …

Poland: Ruling party leader admits country has Pegasus hacking software

Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and the country’s de facto leader, confirmed that the government has the Pegasus hacking software system but denied it had been used against opposition politicians in the 2019 parliamentary Read More …

Meta bans ‘cyber-mercenaries’ that targeted 50,000 people

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has banned several “cyber-mercenary” groups thought to have been offering surveillance services aimed at activists, dissidents and journalists worldwide. The social media giant said on Thursday it had begun warning about 50,000 people it believed may Read More …

A deep dive into an NSO zero-click iMessage exploit: Remote Code Execution

Google Project Zero researchers want to thank Citizen Lab for sharing a sample of the FORCEDENTRY exploit with them, and Apple’s Security Engineering and Architecture (SEAR) group for collaborating with Google Project Zero on the technical analysis. The editorial opinions Read More …

US lawmakers want to put NSO Group, 3 other spyware makers out of business with fresh severe sanctions

Eighteen US Democratic lawmakers have asked the Treasury Department and State Department to punish Israel-based spyware maker NSO Group and three other surveillance software firms for enabling human rights abuses. In a letter [PDF] signed by US Senator Ron Wyden Read More …

UK: Facial recognition firm faces possible £17m privacy fine

An Australian firm which claims to have a database of more than 10 billion facial images is facing a potential £17m fine over its handling of personal data in the UK. The Information Commissioner’s Office said it had significant concerns Read More …

FBI Document Says the Feds Can Get Your WhatsApp Data – in Real Time

As Apple and WhatsApp have built themselves into multibillion-dollar behemoths, they’ve done it while preaching the importance of privacy, especially when it comes to secure messaging. But in a previously unreported FBI document obtained by Rolling Stone, the bureau claims Read More …

Cyprus: Surveillance firm pays $1 million fine after ‘spy van’ scandal

The Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection in Cyprus has collected a $1 million fine from intelligence company WiSpear for gathering mobile data from various individuals arriving at the airport in Larnaca. While this is just an administrative Read More …

New PhoneSpy Android Spyware Poses Pegasus-Like Threat

Researchers discovered new Android spyware that provides similar capabilities to NSO Group’s Pegasus controversial software. Called PhoneSpy, the mobile surveillance-ware has been spotted activity targeting South Koreans without their knowledge. PhoneSpy disguises itself as a legitimate application and gives attackers Read More …

US sanctions NSO Group, Israeli spyware company at centre of Pegasus Papers

The US is sanctioning an Israeli spyware company that it accused of supplying technology to foreign governments “to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers”. NSO Group had been accused of assisting despotic regimes in targeting Read More …