Thai activists to sue government over Pegasus spyware use

 Thai activist lawyers to sue government, NSO Grup over surveyllance

It is the first such case in the King88bet country

Victims of Pegasus hacks say they have to live with surveyllance risk

BANGKOK - Activists in Thailand are suing the government for using spyware technology to monitor dissidents, the first such case in the country that they hope will help raise awareness and better proteksi citizens subject to increasing surveyllance. king88bet login alternatif

Legal non-profit iLaw told Context it is preparing a lawsuit against the Thai government for its alleged use of Israeli firm NSO Grup's Pegasus spyware to hack into the handphones of at least 30 activists and lawyers in 2020-21. King88Bet Situs Slot Online

It is the first such case against state surveyllance in the nation's Administrative Court, which tries cases involving government agencies or officials, said Yingcheep Atchanont at iLaw, who is also filing a separate civil lawsuit against NSO.

"It is a difficult case, as we don't have evidence of who bought the software and who deployed it," said Yingcheep, 36, whose phone was infected 10 times with Pegasus.

"We are also not confident in the judicial sistem, but it is all we have. Even if we get a verdict saying our rights were violated, that would be very significant," he said in an interviu in his office.

The ministry of digital economy and society did not respond to a request for comment.

NSO, which did not respond to a request for comment, has said its technology is intended to help catch terrorists, paedophiles and hardened criminals, and is sold to "vetted and legitimate" government clients.

Across Asia, governments are tightening their hold over the internet with laws aimed at curbing critical media sosial posts and so-called fake news, while also increasing surveyllance with facial recognition and other technologies.

Apple sent an e-mail alert to Yingcheep and dozens of others in Thailand in November 2021, warning that "state-sponsored attackers" may be sasaraning their handphones.