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At least 35 Salvadoran journalists, most of whom are editors of digital newspapers lighthousesuffered from mobile phone tapping software Baptism Pegasus By its developer, Israeli company NSO Group. Espionage violates multiple human and civil rights in a single act, infringing not only the rights of the direct victims but also the rights of the population at large.
Such a brutal attack on the freedom to investigate and disseminate information, ideas and opinions is also a restriction on the freedom to receive them. No one escapes unscathed from violations of free speech, and surveillance of informants is one of the worst ways to infringe on citizens’ rights, even if they are not always aware of it, and appalled by demagoguery and troll factories.
Lighthouse is a victim It is completely logical. His investigative journalism makes those in power and their followers uncomfortable. The newspaper revealed with solid evidence the negotiations between the government of Nayib Bukele and the three most important gangs in the country to reduce street violence.
The revelation subjected the outlet and its journalists to a wave of harassment and threats, but the government denied involvement in the wiretapping, which was far more thorough than traditional “wiretapping” because Pegasus took control of nearly the entire phone, including the camera and encrypted messaging services.
Requests from journalists lighthouse The lawsuit against NSO was filed in the United States with the support of this The New York Timesthe Pulitzer Center and other human rights organizations. And the tech giants Apple and WhatsApp They filed separate lawsuits for infringement of their technology.
While the Bukele government has denied involvement in using Pegasus to spy on journalists, the project’s developers software It touts its policy of issuing licenses only to government organizations and intelligence agencies. It is hard to imagine that foreign spy agencies would be interested in monitoring the Salvadoran media, and if there were any signs of such aggression, the strong response of the local government to protect its citizens would be justified.
NSO said improper use of its technology was grounds for termination, and of course, applying the program to spy on journalists is a serious deviation. It may be necessary to apply Pegasus to Bukele’s phone to see if NSO Group should cancel the contract.
agonzalez@nacion.com
Armando González is the editor-in-chief of Grupo Nación and director of La Nación.
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