Senator demands deep probe into spyware-for-cops after NSO Group touts hacking toolkit to American plod

A prominent senator has called for “aggressive oversight” into the sale of hacking-and-spying tools to police forces in America. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) was reacting to Vice's discovery of a brochure by Westbridge Technologies – the US sales wing of the controversial NSO Group – which pitched NSO's Pegasus technology, …

[jason_derp]

Oh really?

“These tools are ripe for abuse, for example, by a law enforcement officer to spy on an ex. Congress must conduct aggressive oversight into the proliferation of these spying technologies and their use by state and local agencies.”

Well, welcome to 2020! Here's your standard brochure of all the hottest places to hear "No shit!", and this is a bracelet for VIP members. You show this at the door and the bouncer says: "Yeah, we know. We all fucking know. Where the hell have you been?".

How about this: when you guys in congress say stuff like this, and then act like fucking adults afterwards and take actions or follow through on proposed soutions that aren't just shrugs, hopes, prayers, and commiserative let's-do-fuck-alls, people will start to act like your indignation means something.

[lglethal]

Re: Oh really?

Collectively your dead right, but you HAVE to give credit to Sen Wyden. He really does seem to be the only one who gives a sh&t about this stuff. He's got a pretty good track record of calling these things out and making proposals to put them down (which then get rejected on party grounds naturally).

More clued in Senators like Wyden and you Americans might actually get a congress that could protect the people. Needless to say, that wont be allowed to happen anytime soon.

[Dan0813]

Re: Oh really?

Local Police Forces have almost no oversight over their use of GPS unless they need to use it as evidence in court. They have been misusing gps technology for decades to harass people. I think its probably been known around small towns for awhile.

[Pascal Monett]

"should only be used to combat terrorism or serious crime"

No contradiction there. Being a journalist is a serious crime in most dictatorships.

[Anonymous Coward]

Being a journalist is a serious crime in most dictatorships *

* Includes UK.

[see: Julian Assange, Craig Murray, ...]

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Being a journalist is a serious crime in most dictatorships *

Nice try, except Assange isn't a journo; he's a bail-jumping narcissist, amongst other things...

Weirdly, skipping bail is a crime in the UK... impersonating a journalist isn't, which is good news for everyone writing for The S*n.

[Jedit]

Is that what they call...

… Wydening the scope of the investigation?

(I know, I know, I'm sorry...)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Is that what they call...

But is someone going to Trump the Wydening of the investigation?

(Sorr--actually, no I'm not. I'm not sorry at all! If you can stand the painfully bad puns, you should really get out of the El Reg comments section kitchen!!)