4A | AUGUST 12, 2021 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. Sixth St.
Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424
damien Sherwood, editor | 541-942-3325 | dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Opinion
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respect-
ing an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press, or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment for a redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Pegasus and the global
surveillance business
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub-
missions on this and other topics
are always welcome as part of our
goal to encourage community dis-
cussion and exchange of perspec-
tives.)
hacking are uncertain. All these
officials refused to turn over
their phones for forensic analy-
sis.
There’s a connection between
the surveillance industry and
lobbying.
NSO can only sell its technol-
ogy with Israeli government ap-
proval, which means it must lob-
by Israel’s defense ministry. And
that effort extends to the US. For
while NSO maintains that Peg-
asus will never be used “to con-
duct cybersurveillance within
the United States,” why has it re-
tained a prominent Washington,
DC law firm to lobby US officials
actors.
They pose very difficult deci-
sions for individuals on the re-
ceiving end. Unless they are gov-
ernment officials, there is no way
to retaliate. In the case of Pega-
sus, its discovery may be suffi-
We have just learned about a
cient this time around to bring
powerful spyware known as Peg-
that particular technology down.
asus, manufactured and leased
But it may only encourage others
by the Israeli company NSO
to make a new version that is less
Group and capable of extract-
detectable.
ing just about every kind of data
The fairly obvious solution to
stored in a smart phone. The
cyber attacks is to ban the tech-
Pegasus Project, a consortium
nology, somewhat the way land
of 17 organizations and indi-
mines were banned. In that case,
viduals, mostly journalists, has
and perhaps in this one, citizen
acquired a leaked list of 50,000
action may work better than re-
individuals around the
lying on the technology’s
world whose phones may
producer or governments.
By Mel Gurtov
have been hacked, though
But at some point an in-
Professor
Emeritus
of
Political
Science
at
not necessarily penetrated.
ternational cyber security
Portland State University
Purportedly developed
agreement will be necessary.
to track criminals and ter-
Still, as the Pegasus case
rorists, Pegasus is also be-
shows, you can’t prevent a
ing widely used to hack into the about NSO’s technology?
powerful spyware from getting
smart phones of human rights
It is entirely possible that Pega- in the wrong hands and causing
activists, journalists, and their sus has been used or might yet be inestimable damage.
political opponents at home and used against Americans who, for
Consider what the CEO of
even abroad.
example, write from home about NSO said: “We understand that
Who is using Pegasus to track human rights abuses abroad.
in some circumstances our cus-
enemies? Only a fraction of the
The fact that nothing in a tomers might misuse the sys-
50,000 hacked phone numbers smart phone is safe from Pegasus tem.”
so far obtained have been exam- makes it a weapon, another piece
Surely the understatement of
ined, but that’s enough to reveal of infowar technology, and all the year. Just recall China’s ubiq-
that governments from left to the more insidious for being able uitous surveillance system. And
right have made use of Pegasus. to hide within the phone and, the fact that democratic govern-
Among them: Saudi Arabia, In- even if discovered, be difficult to ments are fully capable of misus-
dia, and Hungary.
track.
ing the technology — recall that
The two people closest to the
Just think of all the informa- in 2013 the US hacked the phone
murdered Saudi journalist Jared tion a smart phone contains: of Germany’s chancellor Angela
Khashoggi, including his widow, contacts, passwords, text and Merkel — means that no govern-
are among those whose phones email messages, videos, pictures. ment and no private company
were penetrated. The Modi gov-
Planting bugs and wiretap- can really be trusted to prevent
ernment in India and the Orban ping seem ancient by compari- large-scale abuse.
government in Hungary have son. A technology like Pegasus
About the only good news I
caused uproars over their use of conceivably can infect millions can report is that management
Pegasus to spy on critics.
of phones anywhere, anytime, of the fund that controls NSO
Pegagus is also being used giving a government or a gang Group and therefore Pegasus is
against current high-level gov- access to potentially lethal infor- now being challenged. As The
ernment officials. Among the mation.
Guardian reports, “Public inves-
people on the list: Three pres-
We are nearing the point tors in the private equity firm
idents, from France, Iraq, and where technology is driving con- that owns a majority stake in the
South Africa; three current flict rather than the other way Israeli spyware company NSO
prime ministers, from Pakistan, around. Satellites, drones, spy- Group are in talks to transfer
Egypt, and Morocco; and one ware, malware, and other forms management of that fund to . . .
king (Morocco). That means all of cyber attacks—all these enable a US consulting firm.” Interest-
of them have been tracked and states to compete and fight at a ingly, the largest of those public
their private messaging probably distance, sometimes (as we have investors is the state of Oregon’s
collected — though exactly what seen with Russian and Chinese public pension fund.
was culled and who is doing the hacking gangs) using nonstate
Stay tuned.
Guest Viewpoint
USPS#133880
Copyright 2021 © COTTAGE GROVE SENTINAL
Letters to the Editor Policy
The Sentinel welcomes letters to the editor as part of a
community discussion of issues on the local, state and national
level.
Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters
must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address
and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters
should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to
editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any
letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the
volume of letters received.
Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative,
sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without
documentation will not be published.
Letters containing poetry or from outside The Sentinel
readership area will only be published at the discretion of the
editor.
Political/Election Letters:
Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely
issues of interest to our readers at-large.
Letters must: 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns
on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information
about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand
knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support
candidates based on personal experience and perspective
rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric.
Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor
column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes;
this constitutes paid political advertising.
As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper,
at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and
editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow
the above criteria.
Send letters to:
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS
Oregon state
representatives
• Sen. Floyd Prozanski
District 4 State Senator
PO Box 11511
Eugene, Ore. 97440
Phone: 541-342-2447
Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@
state.or.us
• Rep. Cedric Hayden
Republican District 7 State
Representative
900 Court St. NE
Salem, Ore. 97301
Phone: 503-986-1407
Email: rep.cedrichayden@
state.or.us
• Rep. Peter DeFazio
(House of Representatives)
405 East 8th Ave.
#2030
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Oregon federal
representatives
Email: defazio.house.gov/
contact/email-peter
Phone: 541-465-6732
• Sen. Ron Wyden
405 East 8th Ave., Suite 2020
Eugene, Ore. 97401
Email: wyden.senate.gov
Phone: (541) 431-0229
• Sen. Jeff Merkley
Email: merkley.senate.gov
Phone: 541-465-6750
• Heather Buch
Lane County Commissioner
- District 5
Email: Heather.Buch@lane
countyorg.gov
125 E. Eighth Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
Or call 541-682-4203
S entinel
C ottage G rove
541-942-3325
Administration
Jenna Bartlett, Group Publisher
Gary Manly, General Manager... Ext. 1207
gmanly@cgsentinel.com
Advertising
Gerald Santana, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1216
gsantana@cgsentinel.com
Carla Skeel, Inside Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1203
csummers@cgsentinel.com
Editorial
Damien Sherwood, Editor... Ext. 1212
dsherwood@cgsentinel.com
Kendrick Murphy, Sports/Education Reporter... Ext 1204
kmurphy@cgsentinel.com
Sophia Edelblute, Features Intern
sedelblute@cgsentinel.com
Daniel Friis, Sports Intern
Customer Service
Office Manager, Legals, Classifieds... Ext. 1200
mfringer@cgsentinel.com
Kurt Krueger, Circulation... Ext. 1213
kkrueger@cgsentinel.com
Production
Ron Annis, Production Supervisor... Ext.1215
graphics@cgsentinel.com
Subscription Mail Rates in Lane and Portions of Douglas Counties:
10 Weeks ....................................................................................$11.50
One year .....................................................................................$43.50
Senior 62+ ...................................................................................33.00
e-Edition year ............................................................................$35.00
Rates in all other areas of United States: 10 weeks, $16; 1 year, $56.50; e-Edition $35.
In foreign countries, postage extra.
No subscription for less than 10 weeks. Subscription rates are subject to change upon 30
days’ notice. All subscritptions must be paid prior to beginning the subscription and are
non-refundable.
Periodicals postage paid at Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 35, Cottage Grove, OR 97424.
Local Mail Service:
If you don’t receive your Cottage Grove Sentinel on the THURSDAY of publication,
please let us know.
Call 541-942-3325 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Advertising Ownership:
All advertising copy and illustrations prepared by the Cottage Grove Sentinel become the
property of the Cottage Grove Sentinel and may not be reproduced for any other use without
explicit written prior approval.
Copyright Notice: Entire contents ©2021 Cottage Grove Sentinel