A former member of Morocco’s domestic intelligence service has provided significant details on the alleged widespread use of hacking software, including Pegasus spyware, by the North African state. The whistleblower suggests that Moroccan internal security services deployed the sophisticated spyware from 2017 onwards against a range of domestic and foreign targets.

Pegasus, developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, is capable of accessing all data on a target’s mobile phone, including emails, messages, and photographs. It can also remotely activate the phone’s microphone and camera, effectively turning the device into a surveillance tool. NSO Group maintains that its software is sold exclusively to governments for combating terrorism and serious crime.

However, evidence from the insider, who used the pseudonym Safir, suggests a pattern of deployment against journalists, human rights defenders, French politicians, and Spanish cabinet ministers and police officers. This testimony forms a key part of a multiyear investigation led by Moroccan journalist Hicham Mansouri, conducted in collaboration with several international media groups and with technical assistance from Amnesty International’s Security Lab. The investigation was coordinated by Forbidden Stories.

Morocco has previously denied allegations of using Pegasus to target critics, both domestically and internationally. The country's government has contested claims linking it to the spyware, stating that accusers were "incapable of proving [the country had] any relationship" with the NSO Group.

The whistleblower’s account, spanning nearly a decade of service within Morocco’s Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire (DGST), indicates that the use of Pegasus continued for approximately four years. This alleged deployment marks a significant escalation in surveillance capabilities and raises concerns about the potential misuse of such powerful spyware.

The investigation highlights the global controversy surrounding Pegasus, which has been implicated in similar surveillance activities by various governments worldwide. Reports have previously linked the spyware to the targeting of journalists, activists, and political figures in several countries.

Further details from the investigation are expected to be released, potentially shedding more light on the scope and nature of the alleged surveillance operations conducted by Moroccan intelligence services. The findings could also reignite international scrutiny of NSO Group and its clientele.

Questions remain regarding the specific individuals targeted, the justification for such surveillance, and the extent to which these operations align with national security objectives versus the suppression of dissent.