Pegasus, the powerful spyware that once dominated global headlines, has largely faded from public view years after explosive allegations linked it to covert surveillance operations by several governments, including Rwanda.
While the controversy sparked international outrage and diplomatic tension in 2021, questions remain about where Pegasus stands today and whether its use has truly diminished.
In July 2021, The Washington Post, working with a consortium of international media organizations, published an investigation alleging that Pegasus, developed by Israel-based NSO Group, had been used by multiple governments to monitor journalists, activists, political opponents, and foreign targets. Rwanda was among the countries named in the reports.
Other governments cited included Mexico, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Togo, Morocco, India, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
Among the most widely reported claims was that phone numbers belonging to the children of Paul Rusesabagina, founder and leader of the MRCD-FLN, an armed group designated by Rwanda as a terrorist organization, appeared on a leaked list of more than 3,000 potential surveillance targets.
The investigation also alleged that individuals linked to opposition groups such as the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), led by Kayumba Nyamwasa, may have been targeted.
The Rwandan government strongly denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and lacking factual basis. President Paul Kagame publicly rejected claims that Rwanda owned or used Pegasus, stating that while some governments had acknowledged using such technologies, Rwanda had neither purchased nor deployed the spyware.
At the height of the controversy, Pegasus became synonymous with unchecked digital surveillance. Developed by NSO Group, the software was capable of infiltrating both iOS and Android smartphones, often without any action required from the user. Once installed, it could access messages, emails, call logs, photos, GPS location data, and even remotely activate microphones and cameras.
NSO Group maintained that Pegasus was sold exclusively to governments and authorized agencies to combat terrorism and serious crime.
However, the revelations triggered global scrutiny, legal challenges, and sanctions, including restrictions placed on NSO Group by foreign governments and mounting pressure from human rights organizations.
In the years that followed, public discussion around Pegasus noticeably declined. While cybersecurity experts and watchdog groups continue to warn that spyware tools remain in use globally, Pegasus itself has become less visible, either due to tighter regulation, rebranding of surveillance tools, or the emergence of newer, less publicly exposed technologies.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Citizen Lab caution that the absence of headlines does not necessarily mean the end of digital surveillance abuses.
Instead, they argue, the Pegasus saga marked a turning point, forcing governments, technology companies, and civil society to confront the growing power of spyware and the lack of transparency surrounding its use.
Today, Pegasus stands less as an active headline and more as a case study in modern surveillance: a reminder of how rapidly technology can outpace regulation, and how allegations. Whether proven or denied, can permanently shape global debates on privacy, security, and state power.
