The Israeli cyber intelligence company NSO has been negotiating with the Jordanian government in recent months over an agreement to sell new espionage technology, two sources informed me.
Why it matters: The Jordanian intelligence services monitor terrorist groups, but they also monitor opposition activists and combat domestic criticism of King Abdullah II.
Send the news: According to the sources, the negotiations between NSO and the Jordanian government started late last year, and a delegation of the company’s senior executives and technology experts traveled to Amman.
- They presented a presentation to Jordanian officials, including from the General Information System, and demonstrated the capabilities of the new technology.
- According to one source, the technology involves new intelligence-gathering spyware and other technology to monitor messaging services.
- One source said a contract had been signed, but a second said it was unclear whether the deal would be concluded.
- A spokesman for the NSO told me: “As a long matter of policy, we do not comment on our contact with states. The above is not considered as a confirmation of the alleged facts.”
The whole picture: The negotiations took place in the months before the latest domestic crisis in the kingdom, during which former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein was placed under house arrest due to a suspected coup attempt.
- Jordanian security services monitored his communications for months and allegedly spied on his meetings with tribal leaders.
Flash back: According to press reports, NSO has done business with the Jordanian government in the past. Haaretz reported last year that NSO uses the code “Jaguar” for Jordan in internal documents.
Note: NSO has been widely criticized over the past few years for using its Pegasus spyware by various clients around the world to monitor human rights activists, opposition figures, reporters and political rivals.
- In October 2019, Facebook sued NSO over the alleged use of Pegasus to hack 1400 WhatsApp accounts, including those of 100 human rights activists and journalists. NSO rejects the allegations.
- The Guardian reported last month that the Department of Justice had renewed an investigation with NSO.