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Using Texts as Lures, Government Spyware Targets Mexican Journalists and Their Families (nytimes.com)
Mexico's most prominent human rights lawyers, journalists and anti-corruption activists have been targeted by advanced spyware sold to the Mexican government on the condition that it be used only to investigate criminals and terrorists, reports the New York Times. From the report: The targets include lawyers looking into the mass disappearance of 43 students (alternative source), a highly respected academic who helped write anti-corruption legislation, two of Mexico's most influential journalists and an American representing victims of sexual abuse by the police. The spying even swept up family members, including a teenage boy. Since 2011, at least three Mexican federal agencies have purchased about $80 million worth of spyware created by an Israeli cyberarms manufacturer. The software, known as Pegasus, infiltrates smartphones to monitor every detail of a person's cellular life -- calls, texts, email, contacts and calendars. It can even use the microphone and camera on phones for surveillance, turning a target's smartphone into a personal bug.
You can gauge the quality of a government by their inclination to equate people who criticise the regime with terrorists.
Case in point: Turkey.
It's disappointing to see this behaviour by the Mexican state.
...advanced spyware sold to the Mexican government on the condition that it be used only to investigate criminals and terrorists...
Obligatory "what could go wrong" post....
*** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***
You know, maybe if Mexico spent less time doing things like this, and more time working on improving the conditions of their people, their northern neighbors wouldn't be contemplating a big wall (in response to a problem Mexico says doesn't exist, but really doesn't want addressed nonetheless).
Then again, they're just following the popular trend here.
I agree Trump is the effect, not the cause, but the rest of your post... just wow. How is reporting on what is actually happening making up things out of whole cloth? It's definitely newsworthy that Muller may be investigating possible obstruction of justice, for example. That's not fake news. It's not being made up.
You've made an extraordinary, blanket claim without evidence. That's just not honest. Trying to sow this kind of distrust of the media (well distrust of everything) is disingenuous and pernicious. This movement to discredit the media is extremely dangerous to democracy. Encouraging skepticism is appropriate, encouraging wholesale distrust of just about everything (other than what you say apparently), is not. It's not thinking critically.
The appropriate and usual US sanction for violations of ITAR/USML/EAR regulations and conditions is listing of the offenders in the US Federal Register as "Denied Parties". This forbids any US entity/subsidiary from any dealings or "facilitation" of their transactions. Nastier than it sounds -- what it doesn't freeze outright, it costs at least 10% more to skirt.
Wall whining or not, what do you want to bet the US DoC/DoJ does no such thing? For one thing, hypocrisy is already pegged.
"Mexico's National Commission on Human Rights reports over 120 journalists have been killed since 2000"
You can learn more about atrocities in Mexico at: https://www.democracynow.org/t...
The problem seems to be that they don't honor the secret code that pervades US journalism: Don't offend those in power. Whether they be advertisers, government, powerful corporations or individuals, etc. Mexican journalists have been heroic in reporting despite the grave danger they face. We need that courage everywhere.
...omphaloskepsis often...