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US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

apnews.com

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Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#41

Post by croes »

yoavm wrote: post #31
noworriesnate wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, in a broad sense this is true. But do you really think Sam Altman wouldn’t be in the news if he wasn’t Jewish? What about SBF? Or go back further, do you think people know about Einstein or Karl Marx only because they were Jewish? Like it or not, Jews have been involved at a high level in a lot of pivotal developments in the west.

I don't think that "No Jews No News" hints that Altman is in the news only because he's Jewish. It means that people care about _bad things_ more when they're done by Jews. The fact that Einstein is Einstein and Marx is Marx is only relevant if you're claiming that the reason people like blaming Jews is due to jealously of their relative success.

I don‘t think that is special about jews.

Just look at the news after a knife attack or a shooting or assault with a car or rape.

The religion and the nationality (of the parents or grandparents) is important to know how it stays relevant in the news.

People like it when bad things are done by people who have a characteristic that distinguishes them from themselves.

We prefer to think bad things are mostly done by strangers

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#42

Post by noworriesnate »

yoavm wrote: post #31
noworriesnate wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, in a broad sense this is true. But do you really think Sam Altman wouldn’t be in the news if he wasn’t Jewish? What about SBF? Or go back further, do you think people know about Einstein or Karl Marx only because they were Jewish? Like it or not, Jews have been involved at a high level in a lot of pivotal developments in the west.

I don't think that "No Jews No News" hints that Altman is in the news only because he's Jewish. It means that people care about _bad things_ more when they're done by Jews. The fact that Einstein is Einstein and Marx is Marx is only relevant if you're claiming that the reason people like blaming Jews is due to jealously of their relative success.

No, the “No Jews, No Jews” saying doesn’t have anything to do with the perceived negativity of the news item. It has to do with the fact that Jews were involved in some way (good or bad).

I’m pointing out is that maybe that’s because Jews are just more involved in pivotal developments than are non-Jews.

Making this about “bad news” implies that there’s systematic racism against Jews in the news industry, and I’m sorry but that seems a bit far fetched.

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#43

Post by breppp »

kennywinker wrote: post #18
breppp wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

However, the fact that companies sell offensive cyber warfare software to governments is not new, and that specific company isn't either. There's also nothing inherently wrong with selling intelligence tools to a western government, Italy is not Iran or Zambia. And fighting terror or crime using software is valid. The only thing that surprises me is that a western government might attack journalists, and what I'd lik…

Their motivation is they are fascists. Like not in an “anything I don’t like is fascism” kinda way - literal fascists. If you’d like to know more about them, an article in the AP isn’t the right place to find more. But it is a good way to let people know what the US is funding in the world.

That's a long shot from understanding "what the US is funding", because one company backed by a US VC sold the Italians something they misused.

Concerning why this happened, you seem to know exactly why this happened. I for one am happy to be informed whether this is corruption, fascist crackdown, some unknown italian law that makes it all okay, actually the work of the previous government or maybe these journalists were actually baby kidnappers, whatever. That's pretty much why we need to read an article

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#44

Post by mr90210 »

linotype wrote: post #6
breppp wrote: post #4

It's amazing that US and Israel are the only countries mentioned in the headline While the story itself is about Italy spying on a journalist in another EU country But I guess news sites needs them clicks

[flagged]

> US contributions to ensuring peace in Europe

Name the contributions after 1945.

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#45

Post by breppp »

propagandist wrote: post #27
breppp wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

However, the fact that companies sell offensive cyber warfare software to governments is not new, and that specific company isn't either. There's also nothing inherently wrong with selling intelligence tools to a western government, Italy is not Iran or Zambia. And fighting terror or crime using software is valid. The only thing that surprises me is that a western government might attack journalists, and what I'd lik…

Fighting crime, for example by spying on a WaPo columnist and then strangling him at a consular mission in Turkey and chopping up his body, to then dissolve it in acid. That's what this company's software is used for. Good luck to them shifting focus to the bad actors they choose to do business with.

That is not the same company, and as I said above, you expect something else from Italy compared to the Saudis

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#46

Post by v5v3 »

coliveira wrote: post #10

Just a small part of the biggest spy network ever invented, which is woven into practically all software and tech infrastructure we use in the West and backed by large corporations with ties to that small country.

Yes.

Surprised they allowed a zero click exploit to be exposed for what appears to be low value targets.

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#47

Post by yosefk »

coliveira wrote: post #10

Just a small part of the biggest spy network ever invented, which is woven into practically all software and tech infrastructure we use in the West and backed by large corporations with ties to that small country.

[flagged]

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#48

Post by v5v3 »

jmyeet wrote: post #17

There is now a rich history in outsourcing activities that would otherwise be illegal to other countries where it is legal. For example, the CIA's extreme rendition [1], knowingly sending prisoners to countries to be tortured and/or executed. This is how such countries make themselves useful to American empire. Likewise, restrictions on the NSA spying on American citizens, for example, are bypassed by outsourcing tha…

"I honestly don't know how people work on things like Pegasus knowing it's being used to target and kill journalists and politicians."

You can make many people do pretty much anything under orders, and even more by rewarding them.

"I was just putting food on the table for my family..."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#49

Post by breppp »

croes wrote: post #21
breppp wrote: post #4

It's amazing that US and Israel are the only countries mentioned in the headline While the story itself is about Italy spying on a journalist in another EU country But I guess news sites needs them clicks

Most of the time the country of the creator is named if it’s about spyware. The misuse of such tools outweighs the legitimate use cases, so people want to know who is so reckless to sell these programs

I don't understand what's the difference if Italy develops its own or buys it from somewhere else.

Comparably, phone tapping equipment is being sold world wide for almost a century and is used similarly

The fact that some countries that gets these tools starts listening to journalists is concerning, but at least I want to believe it happens less in functioning countries

But I don't see any issue with taking remote control of a drug dealer, terrorist or mafia phone

Re: US-backed Israeli company's spyware used to target European journalists

#50

Post by chrisweekly »

neoromantique wrote: post #35
lcnPylGDnU4H9OF wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is about the US but their question about "motivation" was concerning Italy. As in, why is Italy spying on a journalist in a different EU country?

I think by them being Italian (hint) he meant 'fascist' in quite literal sense.

Hmm, you seem to be implying Italians are more likely to be considered fascists than are Americans. Is that because of the historical connection to Mussolini?
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