Denver- The allegations against Morocco continue to fall apart, as recent reports indicate French President Emmanuel Macron was surveilled by a completely different software program.
Spanish news source OkDiario on July 23 revealed that Macron was actually a victim of software known as DarkMatter, a similar spyware tool that is used by French security services. The DarkMatter program is a UAE-developed direct competitor of NSO-Group’s Pegasus with similar functions. The new facts severely weaken the narrative presented by the consortium of NGOs and media partners that accuse Morocco of widespread abuse of espionage tools.
Morocco’s government has repeatedly stated it is not in possession of the Pegasus spyware and the country has never been connected in any way to the DarkMatter program.
The report by OkDiario also highlighted that Morocco is only in possession of “geolocator” technology which is only capable of setting “the position of mobile phones.” Geolocation software is starkly different from the French claims that Morocco was “eavesdropping” on Macron’s phone using Pegasus.
Numerous Moroccan officials have released statements denying the allegations, and maintaining the accusatory groups had yet to produce evidence supporting their statements. While France reportedly is not a customer of NSO-Group and does not use Pegasus, the French intelligence service (DGSE) and the CIA have reportedly utilized the DarkMatter spyware software for years to monitor persons of interest.
This reportedly included the use of the spyware to monitor Moroccan officials several years ago, amid another diplomatic crisis overCeuta and Melilla, according to OkDiario.
Spanish media have been remarkably quiet in light of the Pegasus Project accusations, while the Spanish press is often the first to publish vague accusations on Morocco. This mystery was solved, according to OKDiario, which revealed that Spain’s intelligence service (CNI) has been using the Pegasus spyware since at least 2015.
In 2015, The CNI allegedly used Candiru spyware, software similar to Pegasus, to monitor seperatist leaders of the Catalan movement within Spain. The remarkable revelation again reveals the double standard applied to such security matters depending on whether it is a western country doing the spying, or is being spied on.
Surveillance is a standard practice for virtually every nation, in order to prevent terror operations and other criminal endeavors. Espionage has been an essential part of defense and diplomacy for centuries.
Several Western countries have had their shares of surveillance related scandals throughout history. However, these nations were quick to sweep their misconduct under the rug, often attempting to jail the whistleblowers that revealed the issue, such as in the case of Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning.
Despite this history, the same countries have remained adamant in perpetuating speculative narratives and accusations that besmirch Morocco’s reputation, even as more information emerges disproving their claims.
