"A heavy guest" in London ... an Israeli spy company with a global security exhibition

Al Jazeera Net - London

Out of the lenses of the media and behind closed doors, the British government organized the "Security and Police" exhibition for the year 2020 in the capital, London, which annually receives the world's largest companies in the field of digital security and intelligence software.

It was noteworthy this year that the Israeli company "NSO" involved in espionage and hacking cases of a number of accounts and phones was exposed through the WhatsApp and Facebook applications.

The presence of the Israeli company accused of hacking a number of journalists and human rights activists has infuriated the media and legal circles in the United Kingdom.

The Guardian newspaper expressed its anger at the hosting of this controversial company accused of spying on three British citizens, including the Saudi satirist Ghanem Al-Masarir, in addition to being the subject of prosecution in the American courts following an invitation filed by WhatsApp because of the penetration of the accounts of its users.

The British newspaper accused her country's government of providing a marketing platform for this company, despite the British Ministry of Interior's sponsorship of this annual event, not to disclose the names of the participants in the conference until after its opening.

The news of the participation of the Israeli company accused of spying on a number of journalists around the world sparked a lot of legal controversy, as independent international investigator David Kay had previously demanded the United Kingdom not to host this company, but rather to express its anger at its actions.

Behind the curtain
The British authorities impose a tight cordon on the exhibition, given the sensitivity of the security delegations that participate in it and coming from sixty countries. According to a source who spoke to Al-Jazeera Net, who declined to be identified, the exhibition tempts a number of Arab countries that participate in it regularly.

The same source, who used to visit this exhibition annually, confirmed that certain Arab countries have been involved in cases of spying on their opponents recently, which are considered the main customers of this exhibition, with the aim of concluding deals with private security companies and obtaining software to penetrate, spy and follow people.

Regarding the participation of the Israeli company "NSO", the source confirmed that this is not the first time that it participated in the exhibition, explaining its existence that such companies "are not subject to the law" regarding the ways to use security software, and for this they find customers willing to make deals with them, He explained that in the field of information security, the status of a company "supported by a state" is launched, which means that this company is a front for the state and is used by the latter to avoid legal follow-ups.

The same source adds that the Israeli company offers a number of products for sale, including security equipment for surveillance via the Internet, and programs to penetrate phone systems and Internet networks at the national level, in addition to selling a number of chips that can be secretly placed in cars or hidden in the walls, from Order to eavesdrop and spy.

The same spokesman revealed that a number of countries known for their lack of respect for freedom of expression and have a poor human rights record for a company like this Israeli company are due to the fact that major telecommunications companies "observe the laws and reject any deal that they suspect may lead to spying on citizens", and for this These countries are a good customer for NSO.

Through his follow-up to this exhibition for many sessions, the same source has confirmed that the Arab countries whose names make the headlines of international newspapers on suspicion of being involved in espionage cases, "I have always desperate to search for software that enables them to track phones, penetrate social media and eavesdrop on calls, which are Willing to pay a lot of money for this software. "

Spy war
According to information obtained by Al-Jazeera Net, the most important participating security companies are the British, American and Russian companies, as a Russian information security company is currently marketing a digital solution for decoding security, which receives a lot of demand from representatives of the security services participating in the exhibition.

Many security companies - especially in western countries - are keen to know the purpose of using their programs, and if it appears to them that they will be exploited in cases that violate the law, they reject the deal, for fear of legal prosecution and the impact of its brand name, especially for telecom companies.

The conflict between the western countries in addition to Russia and China is focused on reaching the best programs that enable spying on the international level, that is, the ability to spy on an entire country or a specific geographical area, and these programs are sold millions of dollars by companies and competition is fierce for them because they Achieved an unprecedented security superior

Among the technologies that are displayed, there are armored cars against the strongest bullets, and many advanced security barriers. For example, an iron pillar is placed in front of the big gates, which has the ability to intercept and destroy a large truck without being damaged.