There have been reports that the technology was bought by the US government.
The FBI announced that it did not follow through on its procurement of the spyware software. Although their statement claims that investment in such technologies helps to “combat crime.” And also, apparently, can “protect both the American people and our civil liberties.”
The FBI may have decided against the purchase of the device-hacking tool because of a series of lawsuits and controversies surrounding the NSO Group. And in 2021 the Pegasus Project came out.
Pegasus Spyware tied to human rights abuses
In a wide-ranging expose, Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International said, “The Pegasus Project lays bare how NSOs spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists, and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril.”
The Pegasus Project was a United Nations report which claims that there has been ongoing surveillance of journalists, dissidents, and human rights activists. And their global investigation included 17 news organizations and over 80 journalists.
