JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israeli political establishment has been rocked by the allegations that police used illegal spyware programs (known as Pegasus and belonging to the controversial Israeli hacker-for-hire NSO group) to track senior public figures in recent years. The revelation in the Calcalist newspaper that tens of senior businessmen, directors of ministries, mayors, journalists and social activists had their phone tapped with the illegal spyware has led to a storm of protests from leading politicians and calls for a commission of inquiry.
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In the wake of the public outrage, Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev announced the opening of an inquiry into the “harming of citizens rights and privacy.
The initial allegations surfaced regarding witnesses in the Netanyahu trial. It was claimed that police used illegal methods to obtain information about these witnesses which was later used to intimidate them and persuade them to serve as state witnesses.
However the recent new reports surfacing about widespread use of the spyware by police have caused shock waves in the police and in political circles. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said that these are “acts worthy of dark regimes from the previous century which we must not emulate. Shaked demanded a commission of inquiry, stating that “police did not purchase these programs for such purposes.”
Among those who were allegedly tapped was Avner Netanyahu, the former prime minister’s younger son. Calcalist said that police thought his mother sometimes used the phone for personal calls. Moreover Netanyahu’s press consultants also had their phones affected by the spyware, as well as Iris Alowitz, the wife of one of those indicted in the Netanyahu trial.
Despite police denials, it appears that members of the Cyber-Siginet department had covertly entered phones of numerous citizens without a court order. The cyber analysts were told that this was due to “potential harm to public order.”
The main people responsible for the use of spyware were former Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, a former Shin Bet deputy director and two of his associates in the Siginet and technology divisions who had both served in the 8200 intelligence division of the IDF.
The spyware was used against organizers of the Ethiopian Jews demonstrations against police as well as in the phones of settlers from Judea and Samaria prior to evacuation of outposts and in many other protests. Even the head of the Rami Levy supermarket chain, Jerusalem city councillor Rami Levy was also tapped with the spyware.
Other prominent persons allegedly tracked by police included former Treasury director-generals Keren Terner-Ayal and Shai Babad as well as the director of Channel 13, Aviram Gilad, a former chief editor of the Walla news site.
“If this is true, it is very severe,” Shaked added. “On matters like this there is no coalition and opposition. A country in which the police gathers information from the telephones of mayors and politicians is not worthy of the name democracy. Police have these programs and they are important but to be used to fight drug dealers and pedophiles and not innocent citizens.”
Police spokesman Eli Levy responded to the allegations, stating that “we are like an open book, ready for any investigation and totally transparent. There was no blemish in the work of the police. Everything was done according to orders signed by the court. Senior police officers have suffered an injustice in the last few days. We will wait for the results of the commission of investigation appointed by the Attorney-General.”
You don’t think internet companies, including Google, spy on you? There are spies everywhere. Be careful with what you say and do.