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Every breath you take, every move you make…

17 January 2020
Issue: 7870 / Categories: Features , Cyper espionage
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Flavia Kenyon discusses the dangers of cyber espionage & global insecurity
  • An unregulated market lacking legal scrutiny and transparency.
  • The impact of Pegasus: a powerful and pernicious spyware product.
  • Holding spyware companies accountable.

According to Privacy International more than five hundred private companies are currently selling spyware products to governments in a cyber security market expected to be worth $300bn by 2025, a market that is unregulated and lacks legal scrutiny and transparency.

Surveillance of individuals—often journalists, activists, opposition figures, critics, and others exercising their right to freedom of expression—has been shown to lead to arbitrary detention, oppression, sometimes to torture and possibly to extrajudicial killings.

The most powerful and pernicious spyware product on the market today is ‘Pegasus’,developed by Israel’s NSO Group. Earlier this year, UK private equity firm Novalpina Capital acquired majority ownership of the NSO group.

Pegasus

Pegasus penetrates security features in popular operating systems, such as WhatsApp, and silently installs the malware on a target’s phone without the user’s knowledge or permission.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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