NSO sues Israeli paper after explosive articles on police

By TIA GOLDENBERG
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli tech company NSO Group has filed a libel lawsuit against an Israeli newspaper. The suit comes after a series of explosive articles claimed Israeli police unlawfully used its spyware on dozens of public figures. The articles by the Israeli business newspaper Calcalist published over recent weeks triggered an uproar. An investigation into the reports, which were unsourced, found no indication of abuse. The NSO suit filed Sunday seeks 1 million shekels (310,000 dollars) in damages that it said would be donated to charity. NSO’s spyware, Pegasus, is a powerful tool that allows its operator to infiltrate a target’s phone and sweep up its contents. The company has been linked to snooping on dissidents, journalists and politicians.