Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Mediators are making great efforts to remove any obstacles in the way of implementing the ceasefire, and a sense of optimism now prevails among all parties

Mexico investigates legality of Israeli NSO Group spyware purchases

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Oct 2022 10:11
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The Mexican attorney general's office says judicial authorities had acquired information that NSO was illegally selling Pegasus, without providing further details.

  • x
  • The NSO Group company logo. Source: MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES.
    The NSO Group company logo (Getty Images)

On Sunday, the Mexican attorney general's office revealed that it is investigating the previous administration's purchase of Pegasus computer spyware and if it was done correctly.

The office issued a statement referring to ongoing investigations into the use of Pegasus spyware by two people, including a prominent ex-official, just days after the current administration denied eavesdropping on journalists or critics.

Pegasus is owned and run by the Israeli spyware company NSO group, which only sells malware to governments or law enforcement agencies. 

According to the statement, Mexican prosecutors are considering purchasing Pegasus from the previous attorney general's office for 457 million pesos ($23 million). They were attempting to determine whether it had been done with proper justification and in accordance with the required public tender procedures.

In the second investigation, the office stated that judicial authorities had acquired information that NSO was "illegally selling" Pegasus, but provided no further specifics.

NSO told Reuters earlier this month that it licenses Pegasus only to law enforcement and intelligence organizations of sovereign states and government agencies with Israeli government authorization, claiming that contracts are terminated when misconduct is discovered.

It claimed it that does not operate Pegasus, has no visibility on its usage, and does not collect information about customers.

Related News

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

The admission came nearly two weeks after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied his personnel spied on journalists or opponents following a watchdog report claiming at least three people probing human rights violations in Mexico had Pegasus on their phones.

Lopez Obrador was elected in 2018 after promising during his campaign that the government would stop eavesdropping on its citizens.

What is Pegasus? How does it function?

As spyware, Pegasus, which has the capability to infect billions of phones running either iOS or Android operating systems, silently infiltrates your phone, takes hold of your data, and turns your device into a 24/7 surveillance unit.

It can copy all your messages, harvest your photos, and record your calls. It might even infiltrate your camera and microphone and secretly film you and eavesdrop on your conversations. It can also potentially pinpoint your location, anytime, anywhere.

For governments and spying agencies, the software is quite the dream come true, but for dissidents, journalists, and the general populace, Pegasus is a nightmare. 

The mastermind behind this hacking software is none other than the Israeli firm NSO Group.

Mexico, Pegasus, and human rights activists

Two journalists and a human rights activist's phones were examined by researchers at Citizen Lab, a digital watchdog group at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. They discovered that the smartphones had been infected with Pegasus in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The three victims documented human rights violations allegedly committed by the Mexican armed forces and disclosed their findings in a report published by the Mexican group for digital rights advocacy known as R3D.

Requests for a response from the Defense Ministry and Lopez Obrador's team were not immediately fulfilled.

  • Israel
  • Mexico
  • NSO Group
  • Pegasus

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
In this May 20, 20201, photo Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of US Central Command, arrives in Baghdad, Iraq (AP)
Politics

US spent $33 billion on post-Oct.7 genocide, wars, Brown Uni reports

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., holds a news conference to mark the seventh day of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP)
Politics

US troops face unpaid wages as government shutdown drags on

Mourners wave Hezbollah and a Palestinian flag during the funeral of Hezbollah former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Sayyed Hashem Safieddine in the Sports City Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, February 23, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Hezbollah voices support for Gaza, Resistance on October 7 anniversary

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas
Politics

Al-Aqsa Flood restored Palestinian cause on the global stage: Hamas

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS