In July 2021, investigative journalists and NGOs revealed that thousands of people had been illegally spied on using the Pegasus spyware.

Omissions

• The leaked list of 50,000+ phone numbers consisted of numbers 'selected for surveillance' by NSO clients; being on the list does not by itself prove every number was successfully hacked. The investigations identified more than 1,000 individuals as targets, and Amnesty International confirmed that at least 180 journalists had been targeted, with 37 fully compromised.
• The claim describes what the investigations 'revealed' in July 2021; the exact number of people actually infected with Pegasus (as opposed to selected for surveillance) was not publicly established at the time.

Sources

• PrimaryAmnesty International (Pegasus Project press release)Amnesty International announced the Pegasus Project: 'A massive data leak reveals that Israeli NSO Group's spyware was used to hack the phones of journalists, human rights activists and others' — a 'ground-breaking collaboration by more than 80 journalists' — and the investigation covered a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers.
• PrimaryForbidden Stories — About the Pegasus Project'An unprecedented leak of more than 50,000 phone numbers selected for surveillance by the customers of the israeli company NSO Group shows that Pegasus — the flagship product of NSO Group — is a new global weapon for silencing journalists.'
• SecondaryThe Washington Post — Takeaways from the Pegasus Project'Among 50,000 phone numbers, the Pegasus Project found those of hundreds of public officials' and 'reporters were able to identify more than 1,000 people spanning more than 50 countries' whose numbers appeared on the list.
• SecondaryBBC News — Pegasus: Spyware sold to governments 'targets activists''They are on a list of some 50,000 phone numbers of people' and 'more than 1,000 people spanning over 50 countries whose numbers were on the list' — published as part of the Pegasus Project revelations in July 2021.
• SecondaryThe Guardian — Revealed: leak uncovers global abuse of cyber-surveillance weapon'The leak contains a list of more than 50,000 phone numbers that...' were selected for surveillance, with 'more than 1,000 numbers France, more than 1,000 numbers Turkey, around 500' in other countries.