Snowden Calls Out Israeli Spy Software in Aiding Saudis to Murder Khashoggi

Speaking at a conference in Israel on Tuesday, the infamous U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden said that Saudi Arabia used Israeli spy software to track and target the murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2. Snowden spoke via videoconferencing from Russia, not attending the conference organized by Israeli media consultancy firm OH! Orenstein Hoshen in person due to concerns of being handed over to U.S. authorities by Israel.

_Source

Snowden slammed the Israeli cyber intelligence company NSO for it's role in the Khashoggi assassination, accusing them of "selling a digital burglary tool". The Saudis knew too much about Khashoggi on that day:

"How do they know what his plans were and that they needed to act against him? That knowledge came from the technology developed by NSO. They are selling a digital burglary tool. Companies like this are popping up all over the world. They are not trying to save lives but just make money [...] such a level of recklessness [...] actually starts costing lives."

"If we can allow ourselves to be terrorized by someone with nothing but a knife, to reorder our societies for the convenience of state power then we've stopped being citizens and we've started being subjects."

Hedan Orenstein, a partner of OH!, explained why he wanted Snowden to speak at the conefrence:

"Snowden affects in the broadest and deepest way the worlds of content that we deal with including: law, economics, technology and crisis management. The interview with Snowden is also an opportunity to speak with him and through him about issues that don't always get their fair share of public discourse: individual freedom, freedom of expression, and the role of a free press in a reality of security threats."

OH!'s other partner Itamar Hoshen said:

"Snowden represents by his actions, in the most outstanding way, the constant tension existing between media consultants and topics covered by the media; the tension between individual freedom and freedom of the press; between the sacred right to privacy and the right of journalists to conduct free and open discussions. As part of our work, we are required to bridge this tension on a daily basis."

Israel, an ally of the U.S., is apparently "at the top of the US’ classified threat list of hackers" as one of the top 3 nations that hack the U.S. regularly, along with China and Russia. Israeli company NSO Group Technologies is the developer of the "Pegasus" software which is used to remotely infect mobile phones and relay data back from the device.

NSO claims it's apps "are licensed only to legitimate government agencies for the sole purpose of investigating and preventing crime and terror." But Saudi Arabia has used the Pegasus software before by spying on a prominent critic of the Saudi government, 27-year-old Saudi dissident Omar Abdulaziz.

Canadian research group Citizen Lab disclosed that the " illegal wiretapping" of the Pegasus software was used to hack Abdulaziz's iPhone between June and August 2018. They also found the Pegasus software was being used more by the "Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the Middle East", including United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Emirati human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor was also targeted with the software in August 2016.

Israel is supportive of the Saudi regime, and wants the U.S. to stand by their ally in the Kashoggi affair, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly having "reached out to the Trump administration to express support for the crown prince, arguing that he is an important strategic partner in the region."

Snowden spoke of his leaks and defended himself from Israelis who didn't want him to have contact with Israel at all. He is also against the Israeli occupation of Palestine:

"Like most Americans, I am against the occupation. I support those trying to end it. But I do not think progress can move without dialogue."

When some of the audience tried to justify the need for security over limiting the government powers, Snowden spoke of Nazi Germany as the origin of this way of thinking. Two-third of the 150 attendees raised their hands in support of Snowden being a freedom fighter, while 1/3 thought of him as a traitor. Private companies also pose a threat as a hand of the surveillance state, like Facebook:

"Facebook does not care about you, your country, your politics, what happens to you, - Facebook cares about one thing: your data. They are surveillance people. Their product is you – the story of your life and the lives of your neighbors."

Snowden describes companies like NSO and Facebook as "the worst of the worst", as they are based on collecting huge amounts of data about the public and violating the freedoms of those who become victims to the surveillance state. Snowden knows the subject well, as he is responsible for the largest leak in intelligence history. In 2013, he exposed the U.S. and U.K. surveillance programs, forcing intelligence agencies to change how they conduct themselves. Snowden also made it clear what surveillance is really about:

"Surveillance is not about safety. Surveillance is about control."

---

References:

• Edward Snowden: Saudi used Israel spyware to target Khashoggi
• Snowden slams NSO over Khashoggi murder
• Edward Snowden: Israeli software tracked Khashoggi
• How Saudi-Linked Digital Espionage Reached Canadian Soil
• Saudi crown prince described journalist as a dangerous Islamist in call with White House, officials say

---

Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.

---

_{If you appreciate and value the content, please consider: Upvoting, Sharing or Reblogging below.
me for more content to come!}

---

_{My goal is to share knowledge, truth and moral understanding in order to help change the world for the better. If you appreciate and value what I do, please consider supporting me as a Steem Witness by voting for me at the bottom of the Witness page.}