AMMAN — Human rights activist
Hala Ahed confirmed
Monday that her mobile phone was spied on by a spyware that can be installed on
devices running some versions of the iOS (Apple’s iPhone operating system).
اضافة اعلان
“
Front Line Defenders (a human rights organization
based in Dublin)contacted me and other activists and told us that there is
information that a number of mobile phones had been hacked through a spyware
called Pegasus,” Ahed told
Jordan News Tuesday. She added that she
checked her phone (through experts) “and it turned out that my phone had been
hacked.”
Ahed said that was terribly disturbed by this
intrusion. “This matter was very annoying to me, as the right to privacy is a
big deal and it is linked to many rights, including the feeling of security,
therefore threatening the right to freedom made me feel anxious, confused, and
angry,” she added
The London based The Guardian reported Monday that
two female activists, Ahed from Jordan and Ebtisam Al-Saegh, a Bahraini human
rights defender, had their mobile phones hacked multiple times by countries
using Israeli NSO Group spyware. The paper added that the spyware used was
NSO’s Pegasus. The hacking was confirmed by security researchers at the
University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. Researchers confirmed that her mobile
device was infected with Pegasus in March 2021.
“I do not
know who the party that spied on my phone is, but this program is only sold to
governments. Those who checked mine proved that the spyware that hacked my
phone had access to photos, conversations, and all applications, but they could
not determine who the party that did this was,” Ahed said.
“I will take all the measures that I can take,
determine the legal options, and discuss them with fellow lawyers to act
towards the Israeli party that developed the spyware and sold it, or the party
that spied on my phone,” she said.
Cyber security expert Hussain Al-Jedaieh said that
the issue of hacking activists’ phones, spying on them, and invading their
privacy is an old one that comes back to the fore whenever a case of spying on
an activist is revealed. “It becomes a main headline and is dealt with in
different ways without a proper understanding of the reality of these actions
and the parties responsible for them,” he said.
“The question remains open about the party that
bought the services of these companies and what is the purpose and objectives
of these spying acts,” he added.
Commissioner-General
of the
National Center for Human Rights Alaa Al-Armouti, said that they are in
the process of monitoring and verifying what was discussed in the matter of
Hala Ahed to “take a clear position.”
As for lawyer Loay Obeidat, he considered what
happened to the activist an attack on her private life and held the Jordanian
state responsible for preserving the privacy of Jordanian citizens and stopping
piracy and attacks on them. He added that this act is legally and politically
condemned.
NSO has said that its software is licensed to be
used by client countries against suspected terrorists and other serious
criminals, and that it investigates credible allegations of abuse by its
clients.
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