Israel’s NSO Group showcased a new anti-drone defence on Monday, giving the public a rare look at its technology as it seeks to counter allegations that another of its products has aided privacy breaches and political surveillance.
The new system, Eclipse, commandeers intruding drones and, according to NSO, costs “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to provide stadium-sized protection.
More than 10 countries have bought it to safeguard sites like energy facilities, NSO said.
The promotion follows controversy for the company around Pegasus, spyware that has drawn a lawsuit by WhatsApp alleging it helped government spies hack the phones of roughly 1400 users including journalists and dissidents.
Pegasus has been linked to political surveillance in Mexico, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which researches digital surveillance.
NSO denies wrongdoing and says it sells only to government agencies, subject to oversight by Israel’s Defence Ministry.
On Monday, chief executive Shalev Hulio also sought to highlight a heightened transparency drive.
Read the article by Dan Williams in iTNews.