The Facts
A group of researchers on Thursday published a report alleging that 12 individuals in Armenia, including journalists, human rights activists, and at least one UN official, were hacked by cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group's spyware Pegasus between October 2020 and December 2022.
While the researchers didn't tie the hacking to a specific government or entity, they reportedly found some circumstantial evidence linking it to the long-running military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The Spin
Narrative A
The NSO Group refuses to engage with or acknowledge the overwhelming forensic evidence tying Pegasus spyware to many cases of human rights abuses and oppressive regimes. This usage of spyware shows the risk of the technology being used to fuel geopolitical conflicts — this should alarm everyone.
Narrative B
NSO follows all industry policies, religiously investigating credible allegations of misuse of its technologies and terminating when appropriate. The problem of abuse of surveillance technologies doesn't lie with the company, but rather the fact that there needs to be a global regulatory cyber intelligence framework to address the responsibility of governmental operators.
