NSO reflects the mysterious side of Israeli high technology

Nine years ago, Shai Aspril, an investigative journalist for the Israeli financial daily Calcalist, was researching documents relating to a defense company he was writing about, when a loan agreement between the company and the NSO Group suddenly caught his eye. It was the name that aroused his curiosity. “I remember thinking we were talking about a somewhat non-fictional name, but I already knew that sometimes the most tacky and little things can hide sensational stories,” Aspreel told Globus. “In another document, I saw that the loan was paid off after a relatively short period with high interest. Something in my journalistic instinct I was back at the time prompted me to look into the matter and investigate.” “I took a draft copy from the Registrar of Companies and contacted some of the sources who had been in contact with me. When I mentioned the name NSO, I was greeted with silence or stutter, reminding me of the reactions I received several years ago, when I began investigating the activities of companies like Final, which was before Uncovering it was a hidden trading algorithm company that had made huge sums for its founders, or the homeland security firm Mati Kochavi Logic, which operates in the Persian Gulf.” Several weeks later, Aspril set out to work on an NSO investigative article, searching through leaked documents and sources who agreed to Cooperat. “I understood that this was about a very technologically advanced surveillance product, and as with technology, its capabilities can be extreme — the ability to be very effective or very harmful, or more likely, to do both at the same time. Would you You think this company is going to provide devices for governments that can be used to monitor journalists and human rights activists, as it turns out it happened?” A Trojan horse program that can install itself in any mobile phone, has annoying technological powers. Given the nature of their customers, it was natural to assume that the product would fall into the hands of those who would use it improperly. In the investigative article, I warned that if prudent action is not taken regarding the identity of customers, the product could be used to spy on activists and investigative journalists. “We’re talking about 2012, earlier to serious discussions about privacy and Facebook and far from the level of criticism it receives today. How did the public receive what you revealed? Did it have any impact? Outside the rhetoric, or undergoing a superficial process that empties them of all content. My investigation It had a good influence at the time in Israel but no more than that. It’s about the fact that the topic is relatively complex and also because it doesn’t have a clear hero or villain, and readers are looking for articles that they feel can affect their lives.” “Selling Software Outlaw Attacks on Dictators’ NSO Pegasus Spies on Journalists and Human Rights Activists – Report NSO-AWS Communication Still Unclear Disappointed or surprised? “I was not surprised because I already understood that in investigations of this kind there is usually no correlation between journalistic achievement and level of impact. It is only human nature to take action when there is a perceived threat which is why early warnings about risks are seen as theory”. Aspril, 42, was trained as a lawyer and has since left the press publishing three books including the novel “The Judge”, which is among other things an indictment of the shadowy side of Israeli high technology. One of the most memorable characters in the novel is an Israeli nicknamed “Kisser Soz” who was a mixture of ambiguity and business tycoons whom Aspril met during his enquiries. The character symbolizes, perhaps, all the ills of the Israeli technology industry, which launders pornography, gambling, and foreign currency under the so-called high-tech guise. To display her beautiful side. His front yard is very inviting and really inviting but there are also interesting things going on in the back. Because this world is seen as relatively complex, and for other reasons as well, the media in Israel rarely gets to the point. “You can read a double-spread interview with the founder of a startup that wants to find a buyer or hire employees. There will be details about revenue, number of employees, social life in the company and maybe a couple of sentences about this or that solutions and technologies but even after reading thousands of words, you won’t understand what the company is from. order to make her money.” Stems from selling it to the wrong people. “In order to stimulate discussion, I thought there was a place to reveal a little bit about what’s going on on the other side.” When asked about his choice to treat the issue through imagination, he explained: “It is important to understand that the ‘judge’, in addition to social criticism, mainly researches the psychological aspects of the participants and attempts to confront conditions with integrity and honesty. That lead people to places where society is critically judged. In a sense, fiction’s ability to sink into the soul and fearlessly convey social criticism allows it, and not documentary literature and journalism, to approach the elusive concept of “truth.” This is also why it has stood the test of time so well. Full disclosure: the author’s work and Aspril together in “Calcalist.” Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – August 13, 2021 © Copyright Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2021