The Gray Lady Rides the NSO Group Pegasus
February 1, 2022
Quite an image right? The New York Times, the flabby dowager of real news, is riding the Pegasus. ‘”FBI Secretly Bought Israeli Spyware and Explored Hacking US Phones” reveals that like most investigative units in the world tested the specialized software and services available from organizations once shrouded in secrecy. No more. It seems that NSO Group’s secrets are more widely shared that Minnie Mouse’s hip new blue jump suit.
The Gray Lady states:
The F.B.I., in a deal never previously reported, bought the spyware in 2019, despite multiple reports that it had been used against activists and political opponents in other countries. It also spent two years discussing whether to deploy a newer product, called Phantom, inside
the United States.
Are you frightened yet? I am not. I expect government agencies to acquire, test, and implement tools necessary to obtain mission objectives. Most of the tested specialized software and systems is discontinued. Some useful tools are never used because the budget no longer permits assigning a full time employee to remain current on a system.
The write up is less about the research done by government agencies and more about the outrage that some feel. My hunch is that the Gray Lady’s “real news” professionals are among the most put upon by what is a routine function.
And the news? The Gray Lady wants to ride the Pegasus, but the tired, old, beaten down Pegasus is not able to get the flaccid passenger aloft.
Stephen E Arnold, February 01, 2022
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