The FBI was found to be using surveillance software from the Israeli-based NSO Group, despite a November 2021 White House ban on the company.
The White House subsequently launched an investigation and asked the FBI for assistance. Which agency, the White House wanted to know, was operating in defiance of the ban? And believe it or not, the investigation revealed that the agency using Pegasus was the FBI itself. Specifically, the FBI was using the software to track suspected drug cartel members in Mexico.
The reason why the NSO Group is precluded from doing business in the US is a long and interesting tale. Put simply, several stories over the past few years revealed that foreign governments with questionable human rights records were using NSO Group hacking tools to “maliciously target” journalists and dissidents. This ultimately prompted the White House to ban American companies from doing any type of business with the NSO Group.
“State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability. That needs to change,” Apple executive Craig Federighi said at the time. Alongside its lawsuit, Apple last year released Lockdown Mode as part of iOS 16. The new feature is aimed at journalists, activists, politicians, and essentially anyone who is likely to be “personally targeted by a highly sophisticated cyberattack.” When enabled, Apple writes that applications, websites, and iOS features will be “strictly limited” and that some features may be unavailable altogether.Messages: Most message attachment types other than images are blocked.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Limit FBI’s access to powerful spy tool, White House panel saysA White House advisory board, citing a need to safeguard Americans’ privacy, recommended restricting the FBI’s use of intelligence but argued against imposing a requirement that authorities must seek a warrant before searching electronic communications.
Read more »
FBI finds itself at fault for violating White House policy on NSO GroupOfficials, however, state that they were unaware since work was awarded to a contractor who used software from a blacklisted company.
Read more »
Long Island's White House replica is home to museum, centuries-old artifactsIt’s a house on the campus of LIU that’s been retrofitted to resemble the White House. It’s said to be one of just four in the country, aside from the White House itself.
Read more »
How the new White House student loan relief plan will workThe Biden administration has launched a new website aimed at helping expand benefits to low-income borrowers. Here's how the plan will work.
Read more »
How the new White House student loan relief plan will workOne month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration's student debt forgiveness plan, the White House rolled out a new website to push an initiative aimed at helping borrowers.
Read more »
White House takes 2nd swing at debt forgiveness plan after Supreme Court rejectionThe White House launched the beta website for its new student debt forgiveness plan Sunday — one month after the Supreme Court struck down its initial plan.
Read more »