Inside the shadowy cyber espionage world that's threatening democracies

The Emergence of Cyber Mercenaries

The rise of mercenary surveillance firms represents a significant threat to civil society. These companies, often staffed with highly trained ex-intelligence personnel, have developed tools that enable government agencies to engage in mass surveillance and target individuals' personal devices. The sophistication of spyware allows unauthorized access to phones, facilitating an unprecedented invasion of privacy, where operatives can listen to conversations, track locations, and monitor communications without users' knowledge. This alarming trend underscores the growing risks posed to democracy, especially as individuals become increasingly unaware of how their digital interactions are being monitored.