A recent report by Amnesty International has accused Morocco's domestic intelligence agency, the Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire (DGST), of using Israeli Pegasus spyware to spy on journalists and human rights activists. The report, which was released on Thursday, claims that the DGST used the spyware to gain access to messages, photos, location data, and other contents stored on the devices of targeted individuals.
According to Amnesty, the DGST's surveillance activities included the systematic interception of telephone calls, the installation of malware on phones, and the secret installation of surveillance cameras in private homes. The report is based on testimony from a former DGST employee, digital forensic evidence, and internal documents from surveillance technology companies, including NSO Group, Hacking Team, and Verint.
The former DGST employee, identified by Amnesty under the pseudonym Safir, described an intelligence operation that ranged from sophisticated remote hacking to methods requiring physical access to a target. Safir claimed that journalists and activists were secretly filmed and recorded while in detention, in offices, cars, and cafés, and even in their bedrooms.
Amnesty also found that the DGST relied on cooperation from at least one Moroccan telecommunications provider, Maroc Telecom, to carry out some Pegasus attacks through "network injection". This allowed targeted devices to be redirected towards spyware infrastructure while connected to the Maroc Telecom network.
The report says that Morocco purchased other surveillance systems over more than a decade, including contracts with the Italian company Hacking Team and the purchase of Verint's Reliant surveillance platform in 2014. Amnesty identified 103 Moroccan phone numbers entered into the Pegasus system between September and December 2017, including dozens belonging to human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and academics.
Amnesty said its analysis provided further evidence that the DGST began using NSO Group's Pegasus spyware from September 2017. The organization called for an independent investigation into the DGST and urged governments to halt exports of intrusive surveillance technology to Morocco until stronger safeguards are in place.
The Moroccan authorities have repeatedly denied using Pegasus and maintain that they respect the confidentiality of private communications. However, Amnesty said the evidence showed that civil society figures were among the DGST's priority targets, and that Morocco used Pegasus between 2017 and 2021 and possibly later.
Key points
- Amnesty report accuses Morocco's domestic intelligence agency of using Israeli Pegasus spyware to spy on journalists and human rights activists.
- The report is based on testimony from a former DGST employee, digital forensic evidence, and internal documents from surveillance technology companies.
- Amnesty called for an independent investigation into the DGST and urged governments to halt exports of intrusive surveillance technology to Morocco.
