Cyber Surveillance in Cyber Security: The Pegasus Project

30.06.2024 | Pınar DEMİRCİ

The Israeli government’s full control over the private sector in the export of cyber products causes the abuse of the cooperation between the public and private sectors. The article will discuss the case of the Pegasus Project emerging in 2021 and involving human rights violations caused by oppressive governments that purchased the Pegasus spyware of the Israeli NSO company. The research is a qualitative study. Document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, will be conducted. The aim of the article is to show the abuse of public-private sector cooperation in cyber security as the Israeli government has full control over the private sector in the export of cyber products through the Pegasus Project. For this purpose, answers to the following questions were sought in the article. What is the responsibility of the Israeli Government within the scope of the Pegasus Project? What is the Israeli Government’s authority on the export of Israeli cyber products? For what purposes does she use this authority? In the study, the history of the NSO Company, the process of revealing the Pegasus Project and its aftermath, and the responsibility of the Israeli Government within the scope of the project are included. The Israeli government, which has the authority to approve the sale of spyware such as Pegasus produced by Israeli security companies to other countries, allows the sale of spyware to oppressive governments with an aim to develop diplomatic relations and attain political gains.

Demirci, P. (2024). Cyber Surveillance in Cyber Security: The Pegasus Project. Journal of Intelligence Research and Studies, 3(2), pp.175-211, DOI: 10.61314/icad.1468290