On Thursday, a human rights organization called on the Mexican government to suspend all use of surveillance spyware until a sound and transparent law that respects human rights is developed.

Which exceeds 50,000 phone numbers Clients of Israeli technology company NSO Group selected 17 media organizations and a rights organization for surveillance, of which 15,000 were in Mexico.

The investigation revealed that politicians, journalists, human rights activists, judges and doctors from different political fields were reportedly targeted by spies between 2016 and 2017. In Mexico, 27 journalists and activists may be targeted.

At least 50 people are in contact with the left-wing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who was a presidential candidate at the time-including his wife, children, and driver , Even his cardiologist–all on the list.

Edith Olivares Ferreto, Executive Director of Amnesty International Mexico, said at a virtual press conference on Thursday: “We call on governments to suspend the purchase and use of surveillance tools until the So far as laws and regulations that fully respect human rights are issued.”

She said: “We hope that the disclosure of the severity of illegal surveillance and impunity in the NSO Group and its customers will lead to the revision of accounts and the supervision of opaque departments.”

Amnesty International, a human rights organization based in the United Kingdom, provided technical assistance for the “Pegasus Project” investigation. The researchers said their analysis found that Mexico has been conducting “large-scale and selective surveillance” unfairly targeting activists and journalists.

Group launch petition The Pegasus of Mexico on Wednesday was titled: No surveillance.

“Large-scale surveillance like this violates the right to privacy and freedom of speech, personal safety, and the presumption of innocence. The state has an obligation to protect the people,” the petition wrote.

Ten countries are alleged to have used the software, including Bahrain, Hungary, India, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Mexico is the only Latin American country on the list.

NSO’s Pegasus spyware can invade mobile devices through text messages clicked by users or recently through “zero-click attacks,” which can compromise the phone without the user taking any action. Can monitor messages, chats, phone calls, contacts and emails.

Amnesty International says its findings in Mexico are questionable Proposition of the National Bureau of Statistics Its products are only used by countries to combat serious crime and terrorism.

“Although the NSO Group has repeatedly stated that they only sell software to the state and are only used to combat terrorism and crime, the surveillance targets have always been human rights defenders, activists, opposition figures and journalists,” Olivares Ferretto Tell Al Jazeera

“Mexico did not use the software to fight terrorism or organized crime, but to monitor people for political purposes,” she said.

Mexico has been widely reported as the first customer of the NSO Group. The administration of Lopez Obrador stated that the previous Mexican government had purchased and used Pegasus spyware.

Mexico’s Minister of Public Safety, Rosa Icela Rodriguez, said on Wednesday that the country’s previous two governments had signed at least 31 contracts with the NSO Group and spent $61 million to purchase Pegasus hardware, software and equipment. She said these contracts can be traced back to Felipe Calderon, who was president from 2006 to 2012, and Enrique Pena Nieto, who was president from 2012 to 2018. Government.

She said that many contracts were signed with front companies, allegedly to provide rebates.

At Lopez Obrador’s daily press conference, she vowed to “find out those responsible for this illegal act of infringing rights.”

Lopez Obrador stated that he will make his contract with NSO Group public.

Outside the office of the Israeli internet company NSO Group in Herzliya near Tel Aviv, Israel, about a dozen people participated in the protest, and one protester held a banner [Nir Elias/Reuters]

Unregulated

Mexico’s cybersecurity experts say that there is currently little regulation or legislation to monitor the use of privately purchased spyware, and almost anyone is at risk.

“Mexico has no clear policy on data or technology protection,” said Victor Ruiz, a cybersecurity expert and owner of technology startup SILIKN.

“This has led to the proliferation and growth of such surveillance and espionage activities, and there are no penalties or clear legislation or regulations that can somehow hold those responsible-even more so when the government does this,” Ruiz Tell Al Jazeera.

Lopez Obrador took office in 2018 Promise to resolve Government corruption and mismanagement.

Since becoming president, he has cut his salary, avoided living in the presidential palace, and took commercial flights instead of luxurious presidential planes. But observers say he has hardly solved the deep-rooted institutional problems that have allowed corruption and abuse of power to flourish.

On July 20, he referred to those suspected of espionage as “shameful“And denied that his government has done similarly.

The booth of Israeli network company NSO Group during ISDEF 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel [File: Keren Manor/Reuters]

But now, analysts say that exposing his predecessor’s alleged abuse of power is likely to be useful to Lopez Obrador.

Gladys McCormick, a professor of history at Syracuse University and a security expert, said: “This may be a good thing, because it is really for Enrique Pena Nieto (Enrique Pena Nieto) and The allegations of corruption by the old guards of political institutions provide a basis.”

“As far as Lopez Obrador is concerned, it has a political purpose because it proves the claim that long-standing political institutions are by no means democratic, because they are very willing to carry out such illegal acts against political leaders. Surveillance, but members of the press and human rights activists,” McCormick told Al Jazeera.

Amnesty International’s security laboratory stated that it conducted forensic examinations on 67 mobile phones from all over the world and found traces of Pegasus attacks or infections in at least 37 devices.

Etienne Maynier, a technical security researcher at Amnesty International, who contributed to the analysis, said that smartphones are particularly vulnerable to espionage and anyone is at risk.

“Technically, it is difficult to protect yourself from the software,” Menil said at a press conference on Thursday. “We will not solve this problem only through technical solutions, because technology is not created out of thin air, but occurs in a specific context, and this background is a political background.”