After the Pegasus scandal, high-ranking officials were given protected smartphones. They just didn’t use them much, preferring WhatsApp or Telegram. A new fully encrypted phone is being developed, Le Monde reports.

French President Emmanuel MacronPhoto: Jacques Witt/Pool/Bestimage/Profimedia

The Pegasus scandal, named after the Israeli spyware used by the Kingdom of Morocco to hack into the phones of its targets, changed that.

This massive story, revealed by Le Monde and an international media consortium in July 2021, highlighted the vulnerability of the communication between the President of the Republic and the French government.

Since then, the protection of their correspondence – even if it does not contain classified defense information – has become a concern of the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security (SGDSN). The Elysée did not want to comment on this issue.

The European Union is in the midst of a spyware scandal, investigative publication Context.ro recently reported.

Romania’s foreign ministry declined to say whether institutions in Romania bought or used the spyware, according to reporters. In addition, the rapporteur of the PEGA commission (from the European Commission) told Context.ro that software similar to PEGASUS is widely used in the EU.

“We don’t have all the data because we haven’t received it from the member states, but we can say for sure that it is used in all EU countries,” Sophie in ‘t Veld said, according to APTI.

On the same topic:

  • Mexico’s president denies spying on his opponents with Pegasus software
  • Which of the Greek politicians could be tapped – the espionage scandal that shook Greece