Facts vs. Fiction - NSO Group

Facts vs. Fiction

Our clients know all about NSO Group’s products' operational success stories, and the vital role they play in their mission to save innocent lives. Due to the nature of their work, the details are rarely publicly disclosed – and with good reason. But such necessary discretion does sometimes give rise to unfortunate misinformation and myths about our company and products.

Here are just some of the common myths, and the actual truths

Fiction:

NSO Group carries out surveillance.

Fact:

We supply our technologies to selected vetted governmental clients, but we never operate them ourselves, nor are we exposed to the collected data.
Fiction:

NSO Group sells its products to anyone who is willing to pay.

Fact:

We sell only to selected vetted governments, and never to individual or non-governmental entities subject to the approval of Israel’s Defense Ministry and to our own ethical business codes. We have often turned down potential clients who do not meet these standards, passing up business worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Fiction:

NSO Group products are used against an unlimited number of subjects, as a form of mass-surveillance.

Fact:

Our technologies are the opposite of mass-surveillance. They are sold with a pre-set, hard-wired very limited cap on the number of suspects they can be used on.
Fiction:

NSO Group products are used against political dissidents, activists and journalists.

Fact:

Our clients are contractually obligated to use NSO Group products only against terrorists, criminals or similar malefactors.
Fiction:

NSO Group has no way of ensuring its clients respect its ethical code.

Fact:

While we are not involved in clients’ real-time use of our technologies, we thoroughly investigate any credible allegation of misuse. In such circumstances, we are contractually entitled to access tamperproof “audit logs” showing the specific mobile numbers that were targeted by the client. If the logs reveal misuse, we shut down the system remotely, rendering it useless in the hands of the client. NSO have terminated 10 contracts to date, over discoveries of misuse of its technologies by its customers.
Fiction:

NSO Group is a spyware company.

Fact:

We are a technology company which develops and sells much needed cyber-intelligence software to lawful governmental authorities.
Fiction:

NSO Group is a ‘hackers for hire’ or ‘mercenaries’ company.

Fact:

We are a cyber-technology company, solely developing and selling software to lawful governmental authorities.
Fiction:

Every time there is a use in cyber intelligence tools, it is done by Pegasus.

Fact:

NSO is the world's most known cyber intelligence company, but there are many other companies operating in the industry, and often uses of cyber intelligence tools are automatically linked to Pegasus, while it is in fact, another tool.