Morocco's Espionage Tactics Exposed
Recent findings from a report by Amnesty International reveal that Morocco has employed the controversial Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group, to surveil prominent government officials, including ministers Margarita Robles and Fernando Grande-Marlaska. This revelation is part of a broader account detailing a systematic surveillance network aimed at intimidating, blackmailing, and repressing human rights defenders, journalists, politicians, and activists. According to the organization, the Moroccan government utilized Pegasus between 2017 and 2021, and potentially beyond, despite official denials. The report highlights a specific surveillance operation against Robles and Grande-Marlaska, who experienced unauthorized access to their mobile devices during a diplomatic crisis with Spain in 2021. Amnesty International asserts that the same accounts linked to Morocco's Pegasus system were used to compromise the ministers' devices, although the case involving Spanish President Pedro Sánchez remains unexplained due to a lack of identification of the iMessage account used in his breach.
Agnès Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, states that this report provides "the most detailed picture to date" of the tools employed by Moroccan authorities. It reveals that these surveillance capabilities are sourced from business entities in Israel, the European Union, and the United States, including NSO Group, the now-defunct Italian spyware company Hacking Team, rebranded as Memento Labs, and the British-German conglomerate Gamma Group and FinFisher.
The Extent of Surveillance Practices
The report further indicates that Morocco's espionage efforts extend beyond the mere tracking of mobile phones; they also infiltrate the personal and professional environments of targeted individuals. This is achieved through the installation of wireless microphones, cameras, advanced spyware, and tracking devices. Amnesty International argues that such practices are clear violations of international human rights standards. The organization describes Morocco's "repressive ecosystem" as a significant threat to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly among its citizens. Alarmingly, even activists released from detention continue to face campaigns aimed at discrediting them, with sensitive information disseminated through state-aligned media, which could only have been obtained through surveillance.
The report identifies the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST), Morocco's internal intelligence service, as the entity responsible for deploying Pegasus and for the abuses facilitated by this spyware against activists and journalists from 2017 to 2021. Furthermore, the investigation includes testimony from a former DGST employee, pseudonymously named Safir, who offers an insider's perspective on the surveillance apparatus. Safir recounts how numerous internet cafes were infected with remote control spyware, allowing agents to monitor activities of targets while they visited these establishments. He explains that individuals deemed targets could be secretly filmed and recorded in various settings, including their offices, vehicles, cafes, or even their bedrooms. The DGST also allegedly collaborated with mobile phone retailers to sell devices pre-loaded with spyware, effectively turning ordinary citizens into unwitting informants.
In addition to mobile monitoring, authorities reportedly covertly installed microphones and other recording devices in private spaces to capture conversations. "The tools they employ are extensive, but the objective is clear: to blackmail, discredit, humiliate, and, if necessary, unjustly imprison those who advocate for human rights in Morocco," asserts Rebecca White, a researcher at Amnesty International's Security Lab. Notably, journalist Omar Radi, who faced imprisonment after years of harassment for exposing corruption and human rights violations, was a victim of this intrusive method. Safir claims that the DGST had secretly placed small wireless microphones in the light fixtures of Radi's apartment. Similarly, veteran human rights activist Fouad Abdelmoumni was covertly recorded at home with his partner in 2021, a video that subsequently went viral on social media. Abdelmoumni recounted the disturbing experience, noting the sophistication of the equipment used, which allowed for high-quality recording even in low light conditions.
Amnesty International's report further analyzes all phone numbers identified as targets by Morocco, revealing that defenders of human rights and independent journalists were prioritized among those incorporated into the Pegasus system between September and December 2017. "Records indicate that the phone numbers of prominent human rights defenders and journalists were among the first to be integrated into the Pegasus system, underscoring that this was the primary purpose for which the DGST acquired this highly invasive spyware system," emphasizes Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, director of Amnesty International's Security Lab.
As reported by publico.es.
