“It is a weapon”: Ronan Farrow Exposes Secrets of High-Tech Spyware in New Film “Surveilled”

The cogent documentary, “Surveilled,” now available on HBO, tracks journalist Ronan Farrow as he investigates the proliferation and implementation of spyware, specifically, Pegasus, which was created by the Israeli company NSO Group. The company sells its product to clients who use it to fight crime and terrorism. It is claimed that Pegasus was instrumental in helping capture Mexican drug lord, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman. However, there are also reports that NSO’s products are being used to target journalists, human rights activists and political dissidents.

“We’re selling weapons to the world.”

Directors Matthew O’Neill and Perri Peltz follow Farrow as he meets with individuals including a former NSO employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity; Ron Deibert, of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which uncovered spyware abuse; and Elies Campo, in Catalonia, Spain, who is able to check phones for spyware. Campo discovers that members of the European parliament have been hacked in part because Catalonia has angered Madrid by wanting to become independent. He also found out his own parents and sister were targeted, which emphasizes the concerns and implications of this nefarious spyware.