NSO CEO accuses Qatar of leading spying charge campaign
”Israel Today” reports that NSO co-founder and CEO Shalev Hollio has rejected claims that his company was linked to its spying programs by alleged phone hacking of human rights, political and media figures.
Shalev Hollio said: “Pegasus is a life-saving program,” he continued. “We welcome an investigation into this so that we can clear our name.”
He pointed out that parties and countries are behind the attempts to harm the image of his company.”
In response to a question from the bodies behind the allegations, the founding partner of NSO replied that Qatar had promoted the allegations.
Shalev Hollio, CEO of Israeli company NSO, continued: “It doesn’t make sense to be just a big coincidence that everything happens at the same time.”
In response to a question about why access to a spy program was not allowed if it was not misused, Shalev Hollio said there were issues of confidentiality, as well as issues of national security and trade agreements in relation to the countries with which we work. He added: I can’t go out and say: “We did this and we didn’t do it,” but any government agency from any country could come and I would allow them access to it.
Julio said: “The NSO Group is verifying any information that comes its way and indicates that “Pegasus” is being abused and has so far refuted claims made in recent days in the context of phone hacking of French President Emmanuel Macron, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, King Mohammed VI and French journalists. “We carefully select our customers and make firm agreements with them that allow us to terminate if the system is found to have been misused – we have separated the system from five customers in recent years.”
Shalev Hollio defined “Pegasus” as a “life-saving program” and there is currently no other viable alternative to fighting serious crime and terrorism, rejecting claims that the company’s only motive is financial, saying: “NSO has refused to sell Pegasus spyware to 90 countries around the world due to concerns about its misuse.”
Shalev Hollio defined “Pegasus” as a “life-saving program” and there is currently no other viable alternative to fighting serious crime and terrorism, rejecting claims that the company’s only motive is financial, saying: “NSO has refused to sell Pegasus spyware to 90 countries around the world due to concerns about its misuse.”
Hollio said that the company is making strict deals with its customers that would allow the termination of service if the misuse is found, pointing to the company’s careful selection of its customers.
The system has been shut down for five clients in recent years.
But there are people who don’t want to import ice cream into Israel or watch our technology being exported, Hollio explained. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that in the same week they’re trying to stop Cellebrite from getting their initial public subscription. There have been reports about Candidate and Quadream, and then we are, he said, noting that an Israeli digital intelligence company is about to launch a general operation in Nasdaq and two Israeli companies that have also been accused of allowing their spyware to penetrate the mobile phones of opponents, journalists and human rights activists.
