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  Phone of top Catalan politician 'targeted by government-grade spyware'
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ContributorIndyGeorgia 
Last EditedIndyGeorgia  Jul 13, 2020 07:46pm
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AuthorStephanie Kirchgaessner and Sam Jones
News DateTuesday, July 14, 2020 12:15:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionOne of Catalonia’s most senior politicians has been warned his mobile phone was targeted using spyware its makers say is only sold to governments to track criminals and terrorists.

A joint investigation by the Guardian and El País has revealed that the speaker of the Catalan regional parliament, Roger Torrent and at least two other pro-independence supporters were told they were targeted last year in what experts said was a “possible case of domestic political espionage” in Europe.

According to a US lawsuit, the spyware exploited a previous vulnerability in WhatsApp software that would have given the operator potential access to everything on the target’s mobile phone – including emails, text messages and photographs. It could also have turned on the phone’s recorder and camera, turning it into a listening device.

Torrent, who was warned about the targeting by researchers working with WhatsApp, said it seemed clear the “Spanish state” was behind the alleged attack on his phone, and that he believed it had most likely occurred without any judicial authority.
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