(Mexico City) Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied on Tuesday that his government spied on opponents, refuting accusations by multiple media outlets that the military hacked into the phones of at least three people with controversial Pegasus software.
Posted at 5:19 p.m.
“It is not true that journalists or opponents are spied on,” Lopez Obrador told reporters. “The army did not engage in espionage […] What is done is [collecte] intelligence to deal with criminals.
According to several media in recent days, a group of hackers – identified as Guacamaya – extracted information from an army database, according to which it continued to use the Pegasus spyware after taking office. Mr. Lopez Obrador in 2018, when the latter had assured that there would be no more abuse under his presidency.
The phones of a journalist, a press columnist and a human rights activist were allegedly infected with the spyware between 2019 and 2021, according to the Mexican digital rights organization R3D, with the technical support from Citizen Lab, University of Toronto Cyber Security Project.
Allegations of Pegasus misuse in Mexico date back to 2017, when the country was ruled by President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018). They had resurfaced in July 2021 following new media revelations.
Lopez Obrador did not confirm or deny whether Pegasus is still being used by military intelligence, but said the military will submit a report on the matter.
“We are not the same as the [gouvernements] previous ones. I made a commitment that no one would be spied on, no member of the opposition,” insisted the president, who claims that his political adversaries are behind the leaks.