A Spy in Your Pocket? - Ronan Farrow Exposes Secrets of High-Tech Spyware in New Film "Surveilled"

A Spy in Your Pocket? - Ronan Farrow Exposes Secrets of High-Tech Spyware in New Film "Surveilled"

Dec. 4, 2024

THE U.S. EMPIRE - FOLLOW THE MONEY

Democracy Now!

We look at the world of high-tech surveillance with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow and filmmaker Matthew O'Neill. Their new HBO documentary Surveilled is now available for streaming.

Farrow says he became interested in the topic after he was tracked by the Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube during his reporting on Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's sexual abuse.

Although Black Cube used a "relatively low-tech approach," Farrow says the experience started him on a path to investigate more sophisticated methods of surveillance, including the powerful spyware Pegasus, which has been used against journalists and dissidents around the world. As part of the reporting for the documentary, Farrow traveled to Israel for a rare interview with a former employee of NSO Group, the Israeli software company that makes Pegasus.

He warns that it's not just "repressive governments" that abuse Pegasus and other surveillance technology, but also a growing number of democratic states like Greece, Poland and Spain. U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies under both the Biden and Trump administrations have also considered such spyware, although the extent to which these tools have been used is not fully known.

"Surveillance technology has historically always been abused. Now the technology is more advanced and more frightening than ever, and more available than ever, so abuse is more possible," says Farrow.

https://x.com/RonanFarrow

Surveilled - Watch the Movie on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/movies/surveilled

Pegasus: https://www.amazon.com/Pegasus-Threatens-Privacy-Dignity-Democracy/dp/1250858674

Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State: https://www.amazon.com/Means-Control-Alliance-Government-Surveillance/dp/0593443225

Surveilled: https://www.amazon.com/Surveilled-Matthew-ONeill/dp/B0DLJGSKBT

Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at: https://www.democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: https://www.democracynow.org/donate/sm-desc-yt

Original: https://youtu.be/4zj5sup0qQc

#Imperialism #UShistory #Profits #Resources #WealthTransfer #Stealing

=

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.org

Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: https://democracynow.org/donate

FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:

YouTube: http://youtube.com/democracynow
Facebook: http://facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/democracynow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/democracynow
Daily Email: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
iTunes: https://goo.gl/raRUXS