(Bloomberg) —
(Bloomberg) —
Israeli spyware company NSO Group’s chief executive officer is stepping down as the company restructures to focus on NATO-member countries, it said in a statement.
Outgoing CEO and co-founder Shalev Hulio said in a press release that the company is preparing for “its next phase of growth.” The firm is also cutting 100 posts out of its 750-strong workforce, according to an official in the company who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject.
NSO’s Pegasus software is sold to governments and law enforcement agencies, who use it to hack into mobile phones and covertly record emails, phone calls and text messages. Amnesty International, Citizen Lab and Forensic Architecture last year documented the use of the spyware in more than 60 cases to target dissidents and government critics in countries including Rwanda, Togo, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Morocco and India.
A shift in business to focus only on members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would exclude most of the countries cited in the report.
“NSO will ensure that the company’s groundbreaking technologies are used for rightful and worthy purposes,” Chief Operating Officer Yaron Shohat, who will be leading the reorganization, said in a statement.
Last year, the US added NSO to a list of entities banned from receiving exports from American companies, citing its role in developing and supplying spyware and hacking tools.
NSO said last year that it refuses to sell its spyware to 55 countries, while 15% of potential Pegasus sales were rejected in the prior year due to human rights concerns.
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