The FBI got Pegasus malware from the Israeli firm NSO Group, allowing the government to take entire control of a person’s phone without their knowledge. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has requested answers from the FBI on how frequently it utilizes this intrusive technique to hack Americans and if the agency has obtained judicial authority to do so.
“The American people have a right to know the scale of the FBI’s hacking activities and the rules that govern the use of this controversial surveillance technique,” Wyden said in a letter Tuesday to FBI Director Chris Wray.
In particular, Wyden asked whether the FBI warned the State Department about NSO’s software. NSO’s Pegasus tool was later reportedly used to hack the phones of State Department employees overseas.
The Twitter files have also been a key factor in exposing the overreaching of government agencies and their unlawful surveillance practices. It is a stark reminder of the importance of protecting our civil liberties and of the need for robust laws that prohibit these violations.
The FBI’s use of hacking to spy on American citizens directly violates our Fourth Amendment right to privacy, and it must be stopped. No one should have to worry that their phone is being used as a spying device by the federal government.
It is imperative that Congress takes action to ensure that government agencies are held accountable for such egregious violations of our civil liberties. We must pass legislation that explicitly prohibits the FBI from using hacking to spy on citizens, as well as laws that protect citizens from other forms of government surveillance, including the use of facial recognition technology and other invasive methods.
We must also ensure that citizens are given the right to know if their personal data is being collected and how it is being used. This is a fundamental right, and it must be respected.