Amnesty International has issued a strong condemnation of Morocco's intelligence agency for its extensive use of spyware, clandestine microphones, and pre-infected mobile phones to engage in unlawful surveillance activities targeting journalists and human rights defenders. According to the NGO's report, titled Inside Morocco's Surveillance Machine, published on Thursday, the Moroccan authorities maintain a "vast and expansive" surveillance apparatus that is ultimately designed to silence dissenting voices, including journalists and activists. This alarming assertion is based on testimonies from a former employee of Morocco's domestic intelligence service (DGST), as well as leaked documents and comprehensive journalistic investigations.
For several years, NGOs, including Amnesty International, have accused Morocco of deploying Pegasus spyware, created by the Israeli NSO Group, to monitor various individuals such as journalists, activists, and political figures. Despite these allegations, Moroccan authorities have consistently denied using spyware against their own citizens. Amnesty reported that it attempted to communicate with Moroccan officials four weeks prior to the publication of the report but received no response. Al Jazeera also reported difficulties in obtaining comments from Moroccan representatives.
In its findings, Amnesty identified the DGST as the primary agency responsible for the deployment of Pegasus within the country, asserting that the spyware was used against journalists and activists between 2017 and 2021. The report highlights the combination of advanced technological tools like Pegasus with more traditional surveillance methods, including physical tailing and wiretapping. The alarming details include instances where individuals were secretly recorded in various private settings such as their offices, vehicles, and even in their own bedrooms.
The report further reveals that phone calls were routinely intercepted and recorded, while shops in Morocco sold mobile devices pre-infected with malware orchestrated by DGST agents. The personal data amassed on human rights defenders and activists has reportedly been weaponized to fuel public smear campaigns against them. Disturbingly, the whistleblower disclosed that the agency had compromised internet cafes with remote-controlled spyware and had physically tampered with devices at airports. Additionally, it was reported that microphones were clandestinely installed in the light fixtures at the residence of journalist Omar Radi, who subsequently faced imprisonment.
Amnesty's investigation matched 103 Moroccan phone numbers entered into the Pegasus system between September and December 2017 to specific individuals. Among these were 65 members of civil society, including 34 human rights defenders and 22 journalists and media workers. The report also included 25 political figures and five diplomats or representatives from international organizations. "These records indicate that the phone numbers of prominent human rights defenders and journalists were among the first to be recorded in the Pegasus system," stated Donncha O Cearbhaill, head of Amnesty's Security Lab.
Furthermore, Amnesty discovered evidence suggesting that spyware had been distributed over the state-owned Maroc Telecom network, and that Morocco had procured surveillance technologies from companies in Israel, the European Union, and the United States. "Morocco has wholly embraced techno-authoritarian practices," said Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International. In light of these findings, Amnesty has called on Moroccan authorities to cease their surveillance practices and urged other states to suspend spyware exports to Morocco until adequate human rights protections are established. This investigation was carried out in collaboration with 14 media organizations under the coordination of Forbidden Stories.
As reported by yahoo.com.
