A review by x_chrissie_reads_x
Pegasus: How a Spy in Your Pocket Threatens the End of Privacy, Dignity, and Democracy by Sandrine Rigaud, Laurent Richard

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

4.0

 Pegasus, the most cunning cyber surveillance system where those who are targeted by the malware have no idea they’re being watched. No notification, no reason to question the thing that is their iPhone, Android, or laptop. As described by the CEO of the company, Pegasus was a ‘trojan horse’ that was ‘sent flying through the air to devices’ and claimed that it was never mis-used for illegal ventures. 

A system used by governments, the UAE, Israel, Morocco, and the USA (with many more) is bound to be taken into the wrong hands and turned into a result with malicious intentions. That’s just paranoia speaking, right? No technological system that is of such danger can go that long unregulated without anyone popping a question mark. 
Turns out, if you pay millions of dollars to keep someone’s silence, every raised eyebrow can be swept under the rug. 

And how can one really question something that isn’t even there?

The novel Pegasus starts off with an anonymous source revealing a list of 50,000 phone numbers that had been targeted by people that used the Pegasus spyware program; one of them being the president of France. This is the stepping stone for journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Riguad toward the biggest scandal that led to a mass shooting in France at their office, and bringing to light the journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and political figures that were suppressed and murdered by those who had access to Pegasus.

A story that sounds like a myth, but is proven true to the core is pursued by the high end forces of powerful government figures that frantically try to keep the truth veiled. Through a great writing style presented by Sandrine and Laurent, with descriptions to easily explain complicated politics and technological languages, the lies that hold the dynasty of Pegasus finally come to light – and the truth shocks society to the core. 

Rating: ⅘ – mainly given for the braveness shown by those involved in the Pegasus Project. 

 
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