Explaining Spyware, and How Governments Can Use It for Intimidation

In the hands of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, spyware can track criminals and terrorists. In the hands of repressive governments, it can be a tool of intimidation and retribution against activists, journalists and business executives. A particularly sophisticated version produced by Israeli software maker NSO Group Ltd., which can surreptitiously bug a target phone without any misstep by its owner, has sharpened concerns over who’s spying on whom, and for what purpose. It’s one front in a broader debate about the use of new technologies -- facial recognition and predictive policing analytics being two other examples -- by those entrusted with the power of the state.

It’s a type of malware -- malicious software designed to infect devices without the user’s consent -- that secretly extracts information such as internet browsing history or private communications. One of the more benign, if annoying, forms of spyware is the tracking cookie. As you browse websites, your device accumulates cookies, which inform digital advertisers about what types of pop-up ads to feed you. In its most sophisticated and pernicious forms, spyware can extract emails, phone calls and text messages and even turn on your phone’s microphone, secretly record and take pictures with the camera.