Enlightening even with a pinch of salt

The synopsis of the book may be misleading as one would be eagerly listening for the bombshells of spyware stories from the get go. But the first half of the book is about the heroics of journalism and the description of the background against which the story of pegasus unfolds. Once I understood this, it becomes a book worth paying attention to. After all, good journalism needs some TLC sometimes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Superb vol 2 please.

There was nothing I disliked about this book EXCEPT that purchase and use hasn’t been made a crime.
That user names haven’t been published and complicity in the crimes perpetrated by users hasn’t resulted in more prosecutions.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A real life detective story

The Pegasus story is easily found in old newspapers of a couple of years ago and hardly needs repeating here. The book describes something different which was the planning and execution of the investigative group which was passed anonymously a 50,000 long list of supposedly hacked phone numbers and the subsequent efforts they made to identify the owners of those numbers, then further persuade them to allow all their private phones contents to be downloaded for inspection. Especially when some were politicians, celebs, political activists in authoritarian countries etc. and were understandably most reluctant to cooperate. A nice blend of human stories and technical details on web sites and phone software.
I found reader Andrew Wehrlen’s middish-Atlantic accent a bit hard to understand and played it 90% speed.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Everyone should read

Pegasus delivers eye-opening investigative work. Though lengthy at times, it's a disturbing yet essential read, showcasing the high calibre of journalists exposing critical surveillance issues.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Interesting book but .......

This was good listen and I enjoyed it but the premise was a bit naive. Technology is constantly advancing and Israel is at the forefront - deservedly so because they work the hardest at it. Computer hacking has become an an indispensible weapon worldwide - fact. Human rights is this book's issue but like all aspects of defence whether it's self-defence or nuclear conflict there will always be winners and losers. If countries buy technology they will use it as they see fit to protect their interests. Just because their morality does not meet our standards does not mean they are wrong. Gentlemanly warfare has never really won anything. This book is mainly about NSO an Israeli IT company and no country knows more about fighting oppression than Israel. This book left me firmly in the pro-Israel camp.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Oxford Councils Wish list

This is scary stuff but I bet Oxfordshire Council wants it!!!!! This is all about Mass surveillance on an industrial scale but for money and power, not our security.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great story

This book allows you to appreciate the importance of investigative journalists around the world and the risks that they are exposed to each day.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The topic is interesting, but ....

The authors spend too much time on irrelevant details, and when they should provide important information, they either don’t do it or take too long to get there, making it boring. Another thing that’s quite certain is that these individuals are likely left-leaning. It’s unfortunate that we’ve mixed what is right and honest with political ideologies. Fascism, like communism, is evil. Both ideologies share similar ideas and values; only their presentation differs. And btw Authors, focus on your own country’s affairs and ensure you’re addressing the actual reality, not the one you’re trying to shape. Avoid commenting on the politics of other nations, especially now that we’re discovering some stories from three or four years ago were false and didn’t reflect the truth.
Apart of that, thank you for your research on this topic and for your efforts to hold NSO accountable for their actions.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Unfortunately boring

I’m a big fan of these types of books usually. For example I’ve read/listened to count down to zero day, tracers in the dark, this is how they tell me the world ends…

Unfortunately, this was just simply boring. Its written with wayyy to much focus on the journalism rather than what this book is called - Pegasus. Endless talking about keeping the source safe, passing this document here, meeting here, talking to this guy, meeting with this guy. It just doesn’t make for a good story because it’s so dragged out.

If it contained half as much talk about journalism and replaced it with info about Pegasus then it would be way better.

Another gripe I have is that the ‘laurent’ speaker is so hard to understand. His voice is gravely and all the words just blend into one. I found myself straining trying to understand what he was saying.

Shame really, I was looking forward to it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful