Troy Powell

Yesterday, I received a security notification from Apple warning me that my iPhone had been targeted by a sophisticated mercenary spyware attack, involving technology of the kind developed by companies such as NSO Group, the Israeli firm behind the notorious Pegasus spyware. Perhaps the most alarming aspect of Apple’s warning was its confirmation that such attacks target specific individuals “because of who you are or what you do.” This is not the first time I have been targeted by spyware. I was previously targeted with Pegasus in both 2017 and 2021. I do not yet know who is behind this latest attack, or whether it is connected to my investigative documentary, The Trap, which I directed and co-produced. The film, available on Al Jazeera 360, exposed the details of the September 2024 pager explosions in Lebanon. What is certain, however, is that the targeting of journalists with sophisticated spyware poses a grave threat to press freedom, the confidentiality of journalistic sources, and the very foundations of independent investigative journalism.