Amnesty International's Damning Report on Morocco's Surveillance Practices
A new investigation by Amnesty International (AI) has brought to light serious allegations against the Moroccan security forces, accusing them of systematically employing spyware and physical surveillance techniques. The findings are based on the testimony of a former intelligence officer and digital forensic data, which together paint a troubling picture of state-sponsored monitoring aimed at journalists, activists, and government critics. The report, titled "Inside Morocco’s surveillance machine," draws from the insights of a whistleblower within the Directorate General for Territorial Surveillance (DGST) and includes digital forensic investigations alongside leaked data.
Insider Testimonies and Forensic Evidence
The whistleblower, who operates under the pseudonym "Safir," previously worked for the DGST, and his statements corroborate claims that the agency has utilized the Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO Group for targeted surveillance operations. According to Amnesty's assessment, from September to December 2017, a total of 103 target phone numbers were identified within the Moroccan Pegasus system. Among these, at least 65 were representatives of civil society, including 34 human rights defenders, 22 journalists, five lawyers, and four academics, alongside politicians and diplomats.
In addition to the digital infections, the report details physical manipulation methods employed by the authorities. Devices belonging to transit passengers at Moroccan airports were reportedly tampered with, and mobile phones infected with malware have been circulated through dealers of used electronics. Furthermore, the intelligence agency is said to have remotely infected computers in internet cafes and installed microphones or cameras in private spaces. Documented cases include journalist Omar Radi and activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, whose private residences were allegedly monitored or secretly filmed.
Amnesty International has called for an immediate cessation of surveillance against civil society members and journalists, along with a halt to the export of surveillance technologies to Morocco. The Moroccan authorities did not respond to a written inquiry from Amnesty four weeks prior to the report's publication. Among the technology providers mentioned in the report, only a few have responded: the Italian company Memento Labs stated that it currently has no active contracts with Moroccan authorities, while the NSO Group declined to comment on the matter.
The Moroccan government has consistently denied allegations of using spyware against its citizens and journalists. As previously reported by MAGHREB-POST, government representatives have repeatedly dismissed such accusations as unfounded. Legal disputes over claims regarding the use of Pegasus have shaped the discourse for several years. However, Amnesty emphasizes that the newly presented evidence contradicts the official denials, suggesting a troubling reality behind Morocco's surveillance practices.
As reported by maghreb-post.de.
