9. 50,000 Phone Numbers

Shoot the Messenger: Espionage, Murder and Pegasus Spyware continues with its ninth episode, a conversation with Sandrine Rigaud and Laurent Richard of Forbidden Stories, the organization behind the Pegasus Project. 

Published in July 2021, the findings of the Pegasus Project sent shockwaves throughout the world. The leaked data showed that at least 180 journalists had been selected as targets of Pegasus spyware in countries like India, Mexico, Hungary, Morocco and France, among others. One of the possible targets? Current French president Emmanuel Macron. 

Sandrine and Laurent describe what it was like to watch these cases play out in real time. 

Donncha Ó Cearbhaill of Amnesty International worked alongside the Forbidden Stories team running forensics on potential targets’ cell phones, searching for evidence of infection. The work they did together changed everything.

Shoot the Messenger is hosted by Rose Reid and Nando Vila and is a production of Exile Content Studio. 

Guests: Sandrine Rigaud, Laurent Richard and Donncha Ó Cearbhaill