Rights groups urge EU to ban NSO over clients’ use of Pegasus spyware

Letter signed by 86 organisations asks for sanctions against Israeli firm, alleging governments used its software to abuse rights

Dozens of human rights organisations have called on the European Union to impose global sanctions on NSO Group and take every action" to prohibit the sale, transfer, export and import of the Israeli company's surveillance technology.

The letter, signed by 86 organisations including Access Now, Amnesty International and the Digital Rights Foundation, said the EU's sanctions regime gave it the power to target entities that were responsible for violations or abuses that are of serious concern as regards to the objectives of the common foreign and security policy, including violations or abuses of freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, or of freedom of opinion and expression".