Essay Example on NSO Group Accused of Spying: Security Loophole in WhatsApp

The NSO is an Israeli company which is accused of sharing out tools that are linked with spying on human rights, journalist, and activists. It has now faced a claim that it is a technology that can use a security loophole in WhatsApp, the app used for massaging by more than 1.6 billion people to get into the digital communication most of the android and the phone users (Allen, Bryant 24). The NSO Group has the product that has been operating in the secret years and was found in the year 2016 as part of a spying campaign which is linked with the phone of the human rights which is now jailed activist of the United Arab Emirates in the undisclosed vulnerability of the securities in Apple. From then, the NSO companies' spyware has, however, been on the journalist phones, dissidents, and even the nutritionist.

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The NSO Group has therefore given out a statement concerning the spyware that was licensed strictly into the agencies of the government, and it should be responsible for the investigation of misuse of the credible allegation. The NSO Group has therefore implemented that it would not be in any way involved in the identification of the targets of its technology, consisting of the lawyers at the very center of the accusations, which are considered to be recent (Anstis, Siena 28). The association of human rights has however raised the alarm concerning the evidence of digital intrusion and attack which has been done repeatedly, and it has targeted the human rights journalist, the defenders, the activist who are responsible for the surveillance, harassment of rather tamper and bring a barrier with their work.

From an influential US senator, he has given out a statement on the possible examination on the hacking of the United States citizens with the spyware technology which was sold by the Israeli NSO group and the other foreign companies which are responsible for the surveillance. He, however, said that it is a severe issue that is affecting the securities of its nationals. This was yet done after the Whatsapp filed a case alleging NSO that they have introduced malware into their system, and it has been used for more than 1400 WhatsApp users in 20 countries only in two weeks.

The lawsuit has, however, declared that more than 100 journalists, activists, lawyers, and academics were in real danger of being targeted; this, however, has deprived them of their human right private lives. There was an allegation that one of the United States' phone numbers, which were located within the area code of Washington DC, was the potential area for the attack; hence it was found out that a compromise had already been made. The WhatsApp Company, in a move considered to beware, has more than two times referred all of its complaints about the NSO Group to the United States department that deals with justice. This was, however, done I may when they first knew that had been compromised, and they had to do it again in October.

WhatsApp US-based Company has therefore claimed that the NSO group has most of the violated their rights; hence criminal laws should be charged on them, they have, however, broke the Computer Fraud and the Abuse Act which is the federal law, and it is always used to prosecute the hackers. The public justice, however, decline the statement

The NSO has, however, commented in defense of itself from all the lawsuits when they insisted on its sale on the spyware, which was known as the Pegasus to the government, which is foreign have purposely used them in fighting the terror attacks and the prevention of crimes. One of the spokespeople, however, said that they are proud that the technology has indeed assisted the company in saving many lives, and they have been able to give attention in the addressing of the challenges which are caused by many of the terrorist using the messages which are encrypted technology.

NSO is, therefore, software that has been designed specifically for the government but not to function on the phone number of the United States Citizens' phone numbers and cannot be used in any location or area code in the United States of America. The company has therefore come under the mounting scrutiny which has been made because of the allegations on the selling of its technology products to the regime of the authoritarian such as the Saudi Arabia and mot of governments which has never had proper rights on their citizen leave alone the human rights records which have seen the allege activist, have however used it to target on the members of the local community (Maulana Faris 47). The highest-ranking on the senate of the finance committee in Democrat has given a declaration on the suit of the WhatsApp. He, however, had a concern on the mercenary who has been given the contract on the government and the hackers from the foreign countries in the surveillance if the cyber industry mostly who have been having a target on the American citizens.

Congress has, therefore, had a visible role to play in making sure that all the Americans are not assisting the authoritarian in government to access and to hack to engage in any conduct which is related to the raising of the human rights concerns (Radcliffe, 49). He also added that he asked the question on the US commerce department on the provision of the office with an update on how the implication and the regulation which will assist the United States t in preventing its citizens from the provision of the services to the intelligence of the military services without having use license.

If the companies such as the NSO are assisting in hacking and spying the citizen of the United States, mostly the United States employees and those who have obtained a contract to work in the government, this would, however, raise a great concern on the national security situations. The NSO company was one of the global companies which have been participating in the globally is seemed it be out of control as stated by Kaye, he added that the company is unaccountable (Oxford Analytica, 43). It has been involved in many activities, and most of their defenders will protect them by issuing details that they are paying the price to have the entire terrorist confronted.

However, neither the groups nor the companies or the governments were putting enough effort into trying to handle and to mitigate the issue. The government has been concerned with these companies, and they have seemed to have enjoyed their presence in undertaking their dirty works. This was not the question of the government using all the technology tool for the lawful purposes, and they are careless or incidental destroying up some of the illegitimate targets; this is achieved by using the spyware technology tool which has been set to target the less privileged hence vulnerable yet significant people that the democratic has to protect them highly (Marczak et al., 56). Kaye has, however, declared a call on an immediate moratorium basing in the spyware transfer until there is a viable control globally and are placed on the spyware.

The NSO has however defended it records by stating that their software is only licensed after t has undergone a very critical and a thorough process of vetting which has experienced beyond all the requirements which are legally required. All of the vulnerable customers must meet all the export authority, which is a stringent regulation before they are released for the commerce marks. To add on that, NSO has the internal unit for vetting, and they ensure that the tools have met the required standards, and they have focused on human rights, and hence it has not violated any of the human rights on the global. The company had wanted to show that they are concerned with human rights when they came up eighth the new policy on human rights, which will help them to stem the abuse with is very potential (Haris et al., 63). NSO Company stated that they would come up and make all the required steps to prevent it. They evade any risk of the abuse of the products, which they will be availed to the public for the consumption, and they promised to pay critical attention so that they may ensure the individuals and the groups which are involved t mitigate any risk.

The Israeli NSO company has been marketing the new software which uses the mobile data on the phone to have each person monitored, and his data be predicted, especially on the spread of the coronavirus. The company has, however, stated that they have been in communication with all the global governments, and they have given a claim that they are already having their product tested (CEPAL, NU 69). It has led to different misunderstanding especially the US-based company WhatsApp which it sued them for the allegation of sending malware to the phones of their customers most affected being the activist who is on the front line to fight the rights of the human and even the journalists.

Conclusion

The statement which was made by the company is that they said that their product had been given the license to sole provide the government with assistance in fighting and curbing terrorism and fighting all the crimes which are in the society. But based on the recent pandemic, it is now pitching all of its tools and technology to coming to terms how the Coronavirus is killing as well as spreading like wildfire in the entire world. It is aimed at helping the governments to achieve a clear focus on how the pandemic can be overcome and be solved globally.

Works Cited

Allen, Bryant. "Coronavirus Covid-19 in Papua New Guinea." (2020).

Anstis, Siena. For all inquiries related to this submission , please contact. Diss. School of Global Affairs and Public Policy Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto, 2019.

CEPAL, NU. "Recommendations for the publication of official statistics from household surveys in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic." (2020).

Haris, Alexandra, and Bruce Zagaris. "Cybercrime." IELR 36 (2020): 68.

Marczak, Bill, and John Scott-Railton. "The million-dollar dissident: NSO group's iPhone zero-days used against a UAE human rights defender." The Citizen Lab (2016).

Marczak, Bill, et al. HIDE AND SEEK: Tracking NSO Group's Pegasus Spyware to operations in 45 countries. 2018.

Marczak, Bill, John Scott-Railton, and Ron Deibert. NSO Group Infrastructure Linked to Targeting of Amnesty International and Saudi Dissident. 2018

Maulana Faris, S. S. T. "of paper: Driving Social Media to Build Statistical Culture."

Oxford Analytica. "WhatsApp security breach carries far-reaching risks." Emerald Expert Briefings oxan-es.Radcliffe, Damian, and Hadil Abuhmaid. "Social Media in the Middle East: 2019 in review." (2020).