A Thai court in Bangkok has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a pro-democracy activist, who claimed that spyware produced by Israeli tech firm NSO Group Technologies had been used to hack his phone. The court ruled that the activist failed to provide sufficient evidence to support his allegations.
The activist, known as Pai Dao Din, had accused NSO Group of violating his constitutional rights by allegedly using Pegasus spyware to target him and extract data from his device. He claimed that his phone was infected on three occasions in 2021 during large-scale protests against the government.
An investigation by Thai civil society groups revealed that 35 individuals in Thailand, mostly activists and scholars, were targeted by government surveillance using Pegasus in 2020 and 2021. While some activists have alleged government involvement, officials have not directly commented on the matter.
In response to the court's decision, the activist expressed disappointment, stating that the ruling favored state security over people's rights and freedoms. DigitalReach, an internet freedom organization, also expressed disappointment but noted that the ruling would inform future legal strategies.
Amnesty International, which supported the activist's lawsuit, called the ruling 'deeply alarming' but emphasized that it would not deter efforts to combat the unlawful use of spyware globally.
NSO Group has maintained that it develops spyware for government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to investigate terrorism and serious crimes, distancing itself from the actual use of the software.
