Morocco’s National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP) is receiving Jonathan Scott this week, author of the report “Exonerating Morocco: disproving the spyware,” as it continues to investigate the unproven technical allegations of Citizen Lab, Amnesty International, and Forbidden Stories against Morocco.
In the author’s words, the report delves into the scientific methodologies, data, and events surrounding many cases of alleged digital espionage perpetrated by the Moroccan government.
In his piece’s abstract, Scott said “There have been forensic investigations conducted by Amnesty International and The Citizen Lab, but concerns have been raised regarding their reputations in the information security and scientific communities. Their research has often not been independently verified or reproduced by anyone outside of their trusted network, and their disregard for international forensics policies and procedures is alarming.”
He noted that despite these flaws, they have partnered with a number of international media organizations, such as the group of Forbidden Tales journalists who are a part of “the Pegasus Project.”
CNDP’s press release announcing the upcoming meet said that the body has been investigating the claims ever since August 2021.
“The different actors have been handling supposed facts for several months without providing any proof. The CNDP has decided to audition all the national and international technical experts, willing to present and share their analyses and conclusions, once they are based on rational methodologies and proven facts,” said the national commission.
The body declared continuing to exchange with all national and international experts who wish to share their experiences on the subject.
On his Twitter account, Scott declared that he is “excited to join forces with CNDP in a scientific pursuit to uncover the truth behind the baseless accusations of Pegasus infections by Amnesty, Citizenlab, and FbdnStories. Our commitment to scientific rigor won’t let unverified claims go unchallenged.”
In March 2022, Amnesty International, a global movement of more than 10 million people who “take injustice personally”, said that it’s prepared to apologize over pegasus accusations if courts rule in Morocco’s favor
Pegasus is a software that allows spying on the device user where installed, accessing messaging and data, and capturing sound and images.
According to claims of Amnesty International and other NGOs, Moroccan civilian activists were targeted, as well as political, national, and international actors.
Amnesty International previously noted that Moroccan authorities have been using “extensively” the Pegasus surveillance spyware to spy on journalists, activists, and national and international political figures.
Morocco has filed several cases suing whoever promoted the idea that the country acquired and uses the spying program.
The kingdom had already pressed charges against the German newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung GmbH,” Amnesty International, Forbidden Stories, Le Monde, Mediapart, and Radio France, all alleging Moroccan intelligence services used Pegasus against dozens of French journalists and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The claims are based on a leaked list of 50,000 phone numbers targeted by the Israeli NSO Group Pegasus cellphone surveillance program.
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