Skip to main content

Spyware firm seeks help from Israeli government as backlash continues

The spyware company NSO is seeking help from the Israeli government in the wake of the US Department of Commerce’s blacklisting.

PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images
Members of India's Congress Party carry banners and shout slogans as they take part in a demonstration against the Indian government's alleged surveillance using the Pegasus spyware, in New Delhi, July 20, 2021. — PRAKASH SINGH/AFP via Getty Images

The Nov. 3 blacklisting by the US Commerce Department of the Israeli spyware company NSO took the company heads by surprise. As the announcement was made in Washington, NSO president and founder Shalev Hulio was in the US capital at a series of meetings and was apprised of the decision seconds before meeting with members of Congress.

“We did not get any advance warning, we were not summoned to a hearing, we were not asked about our operations; we simply heard it from reporters and were totally stunned,” one senior company official told Al-Monitor this week on condition of anonymity. According to another version, the Americans did give the company some warning — half an hour.

Related Topics

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in