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The ownership of the Israeli spyware company NSO Group has transferred to a group of American investors following a deal led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds alongside other investors, according to a report published by the tech site TechCrunch.

The company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch that the investors acquired it through Oved Hirschowitz, the company’s spokesperson, but did not disclose the final value of the deal yet.

Hirschowitz confirmed that the deal’s value exceeded tens of millions of dollars with the ownership and control of the company moving to the new group of investors.

He also clarified that the company’s headquarters will not move outside Israel for now, and it will remain subject to Israeli regulatory laws and operations management, staying under the supervision of relevant institutions in Israel including the Israeli military.

This confirmation follows a report from the site Calcalist about the deal and Simonds’ involvement. It is noted that Simonds previously attempted to acquire the Israeli company in 2023, but the deal failed at that time according to a report by The Guardian.

The NSO Group has gained prominence in recent years for offering a variety of spyware exploiting vulnerabilities in various smart devices, most notably the Pegasus software used to hack WhatsApp and spy on its users.

The company also owns other software specialized in decrypting smartphones like ‘Griffin’, which was used to decrypt the phone of the shooter targeting current U.S. President Donald Trump during his previous election campaign.

The group has been linked to numerous high-profile hacks against human rights activists, journalists, and activists worldwide, including Hungary, India, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and recently Italy.

The U.S. government had placed NSO Group on a blacklist to prevent American companies and entities from dealing with it, but this ban was lifted with the help of the Trump administration in May of last year.

This acquisition has raised concerns among researchers at the human rights lab Citizen Lab, which has contributed over the years to tracking the group’s activities and combating its malicious software. John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the lab, stated that Simonds cannot be trusted to lead a company that has long opposed American values.

He added, “What really worries me is that NSO has tried hard to enter the United States and sell its products to U.S. police forces in American cities, but this dictatorial technology must not come anywhere near Americans, or our constitutionally protected rights and freedoms.”