A recent report by Amnesty International has revealed that Intellexa’s Predator spyware was used by a government customer to hack the iPhone of a prominent journalist in Angola, raising significant concerns over journalist privacy and security.
The human rights organization’s investigation found that Teixeira Cândido, a local journalist and press freedom activist, was targeted with malicious links sent via WhatsApp in 2024. Upon clicking on one of these links, Cândido’s iPhone was compromised by Intellexa’s Predator spyware.
This incident underscores the growing trend of government entities leveraging commercial surveillance tools to target journalists, politicians, and civilians, amplifying worries about privacy violations and potential abuse of spyware technology.
Intellexa, a company known for its controversial operations and efforts to evade export regulations, faced sanctions from the outgoing Biden administration in 2024, alongside its founder and associates, shedding light on the regulatory challenges posed by surveillance vendors.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of journalists and activists to sophisticated spyware attacks, highlighting the need for increased scrutiny and safeguards against the misuse of surveillance technologies in the digital age.
Source: TechCrunch