The FBI has confirmed purchasing NSO
Group’s powerful spyware tool Pegasus, whose
chronic abuse to surveil journalists, dissidents
and human rights activists has long been
established. It suggested its motivation was
to “stay abreast of emerging technologies
and tradecraft.”
The agency added in a statement that it
obtained a limited license from the Israeli
firm “for product testing and evaluation only,”
never using it operationally or to support
any investigation.
But critics wondered why the premier U.S. law
enforcement agency would need to pay for
access to a notorious surveillance tool that has
been extensively researched by public interest
cyber sleuths if its interest was so limited.