Predator's control centre has its roots in Skopje
The Predator spyware marketed to the world by an Israeli software company and used in Greece and Egypt to spy on journalists, dissidents and others, was developed in North Macedonia – in violation of the Balkan country’s laws. But local efforts to investigate why the software was built in Skopje appear stalled. The European Parliament is also probing the matter.
| You can read the greek version of this article here. Also find the north-macedonian version here. |
Key points
A set of classified intelligence documents from North Macedonia obtained by news organizations Inside Story in Athens and Investigative Reporting Lab in Skopje show that Predator spyware, at the center of an international scandal, was illegally developed by Cytrox, in Skopje, North Macedonia – and North Macedonian government officials knew about it but did nothing to stop it. Cytrox is owned by Intellexa, an Israeli firm founded by Tal Dilian. Intellexa is mired in an ongoing scandal about several governments’ use of the spyware to target dissidents, journalists and activists. The software has been sold in Armenia, Egypt, Greece