This Report Says The Mexican Government Deployed Spyware Against Journalists And Activists

On June 20, 2017, reports emerged that the Mexican government had allegedly deployed advanced spyware, normally reserved for criminal investigations, to target some of the country’s most prominent journalists, lawyers, and anti-corruption activists.

According to a report released by Citizen Lab, which is based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, the government used a spyware program known as Pegasus to spy on critics. The spyware is manufactured by NSO Group, an Israeli firm owned by the United States private equity firm Francisco Partners Management. The Citizen Lab report detailed more than 70 cases of espionage linked to NSO Group. Prominent targets included television journalist Carlos Loret de Mola and journalist Carmen Aristegui, who had previously reported on a home acquired by the wife of President Enrique Peña Nieto from a government contractor.

To infect the smartphones of targets, operators sent SMS messages containing malware links disguised as fake emergency alerts, bills, personal taunts, or physical threats. Ronald Deibert, the director of Citizen Lab, noted that Aristegui’s minor child received messages designed to look like official communications from the United States Embassy while in the U.S.

The office of President Peña Nieto denied any illegal spying, stating there was no proof that the Mexican government had carried out the surveillance. A spokesperson for NSO Group previously stated that the company only offers its services to legitimate governments.