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Pakistan Denies Amnesty Claim of Predator Spyware Targeting

The government response counters Amnesty’s leaked-files investigation pointing to attempted Predator use against civil society.

Overview

  • Officials labeled the report politically motivated and said there was not an iota of truth to the allegations of domestic surveillance.
  • Amnesty International reported attempted targeting of multiple individuals in Pakistan, including a confirmed attempt against a human rights lawyer in Balochistan via a suspicious WhatsApp link.
  • The investigation drew on leaked internal Intellexa documents, marketing materials and training videos, and was released with media partners in Greece, Israel and Switzerland.
  • Google issued threat notifications to hundreds of users in various countries, including Pakistan, warning of potential spyware targeting linked to such operations.
  • Amnesty described Predator as capable of compromising smartphones to surveil journalists and human rights defenders, warning that sensitive data could remain with the Israeli operator.