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The private Israeli spy-tech threat the EU won’t confront

RT News · · 1487 words · By RT Newsroom
Geopolitical Conflict and Sovereignty EU Institutional Weakness Cybersecurity and Intelligence Gathering
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/639159-israel-spies-eu-pegasus/

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Black-and-White Fallacy 60% confidence
Presenting only two options when more exist.
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Selective Omission 70% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

23 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 13
info Single Source 6
check_circle Corroborated 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“The European Commission has claimed that Russia interfered in almost every major European election of the last half decade.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result (RT World News) states that the European Commission claimed Russia interfered in almost every major European election of the last half decade. While other results mention Russian interference in specific elections (e.g., 2016 US election), no other independent source corroborates the sweeping claim that the EC claimed this for 'almost every major European election' over the last five years.
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web search NEUTRAL — European Parliament elections take place from 6-9 June in 27 different EU member states. Less than two months before European voters in 27 countries take part in EU Parliament elections, Belgium says …
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68797624
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web search NEUTRAL — The Russian government conducted foreign electoral interference in the 2016 United States elections with the goals of sabotaging the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, boosting the presidential…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_interference_in_the_20…
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web search NEUTRAL — The European Commission has claimed that Russia interfered in almost every major European election of the last half decade. Despite being proven wrong in France, Germany, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, a…
https://www.rt.com/news/639159-israel-spies-eu-pegasus/
info
“This year alone, two cases of meddling by Black Cube, a private intelligence company staffed by former Mossad and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) agents, have taken place in the EU without so much as an acknowledgment from Brussels.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that two instances of meddling by Black Cube occurred in the EU this year without acknowledgment from Brussels is reported in one web search result (Sott.net). Other results mention Black Cube's activities but do not corroborate the specific claim of two unacknowledged incidents in the current year.
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web search NEUTRAL — Psy-Group is a former Israeli private intelligence agency. It closed after revelations that it was under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psy-Group
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web search NEUTRAL — This year alone, two cases of meddling by Black Cube, a private intelligence company staffed by former Mossad and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) agents, have taken place in the EU without so much as an a…
https://www.sott.net/article/505988-Wired-for-War-Why-is-the…
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web search NEUTRAL — The 'Videogate' scandal simmered in the background until last week, when Black Cube, an Israeli private intelligence agency, admitted that it had recorded and edited the video.
https://www.moscownews.net/news/279007380/wired-for-war-isra…
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“Posing as foreign investors, Black Cube agents recorded their conversations with associates of President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus, and released the videos days after Cyprus assumed the EU’s rotating presidency in January.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results corroborate that Black Cube was involved in a scandal related to Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides. One source mentions the video undermining Christodoulides and putting a black mark on Cyprus's EU presidency. Another source specifically states that an Israeli firm Black Cube was involved in the preparation of the video, and a third source mentions a senior aide resigning after a video posted online showed him discussing investment projects.
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web search NEUTRAL — Nikos Christodoulides is a Cypriot politician, diplomat, and academic who has served as the 8th President of Cyprus since 2023. He previously served as Government Spokesman from 2014 to 2018 and Minis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Christodoulides
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web search NEUTRAL — The release of the video undermined Christodoulides - triggering the resignations of his most senior aide and his charity director wife - and put a black mark on Cyprus' stint at the helm of the EU.
https://www.moscownews.net/news/279007380/wired-for-war-isra…
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web search NEUTRAL — A senior aide to President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides resigned in January after a video posted online showed him discussing investment projects in Cyprus.Israeli firm Black Cube said it was invol…
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349756/israe…
info
“Another series of videos was released in Slovenia two months later, this time featuring associates of liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob discussing similar pay-to-play arrangements within his Svoboda party.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result (Newswav) reports a series of secretly recorded conversations being published in Slovenia, showing individuals suggesting ways of influencing decision-makers in Prime Minister Robert Golob's sphere. No other independent source corroborates the specific details of this second series of videos or the discussion of pay-to-play arrangements.
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web search NEUTRAL — Robert Golob (born 23 January 1967) [2] is a Slovenian businessman, engineer and politician, serving as Prime Minister of Slovenia and leader of the Freedom Movement since 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Golob
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web search NEUTRAL — The University of Georgia has released a full set of details regarding the team's upcoming inter-squad scrimmage, known as G-Day.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/slovenia-corruption-sca…
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web search NEUTRAL — Earlier this month, a series of secretly recorded conversations with an influential Slovenian lobbyist, a lawyer, a former minister and a manager were published. The videos show them suggesting ways o…
https://newswav.com/article/spy-scandal-overshadows-slovenia…
info
“The recordings are widely suspected to have been ordered by former Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who met with Black Cube executives in Ljubljana in late December.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that former Prime Minister Janez Jansa is widely suspected of ordering the videos, following a meeting with Black Cube executives, is presented in one web search result. No other independent source corroborates this specific allegation or meeting.
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of FORMER is coming before in time. How to use former in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Former.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/former
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web search NEUTRAL — FORMER meaning: 1. of or in an earlier time; before the present time or in the past: 2. the first of two people…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/forme…
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web search NEUTRAL — You use former in front of a noun to indicate that the person you are talking about is no longer the thing referred to by the noun. For example, the former chairman of a company used to be the chairma…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/former
info
“Slovenia held parliamentary elections less than two weeks after the videos hit the internet, and Golob’s party managed to beat Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) by a margin of 0.67%.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the web search results confirm that Slovenia held elections and that Robert Golob's party was involved in the political context, the evidence provided does not contain specific data (dates, percentages, or election results) to confirm that the election occurred less than two weeks after the videos, or that Golob's party beat Jansa's SDS by exactly 0.67%.
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web search NEUTRAL — Green. Active. Healthy. All information about Slovenia in one place. Find the perfect destination, choose an active holiday and enjoy your stay.
https://www.slovenia.info/en
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web search NEUTRAL — Slovenia is located in the heart of Europe. Learn interesting facts about this green country and what you can experience, feel and explore in it.
https://www.slovenia.info/en/plan-your-trip/facts-about-slov…
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web search NEUTRAL — In Slovenia, culture has a special historical and social significance. It was primarily thanks to their culture and common language – the Slovenian – that the Slovenians were able to forge themselves …
https://www.slovenia.info/en/plan-your-trip/facts-about-slov…
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“Even after the Slovenian government described Black Cube’s pre-election activities as “a clear hybrid threat against the European Union” and wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanding an investigation, the commission has not publicly acknowledged receiving the letter.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results corroborate that the Slovenian government described Black Cube's activities as a 'clear hybrid threat' and wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanding an investigation. Both sources also confirm that the commission has not publicly acknowledged receiving the letter.
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web search NEUTRAL — Even after the Slovenian government described Black Cube's pre-election activities as "a clear hybrid threat against the European Union" and wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen…
https://www.germanynews.net/news/279016710/wired-for-war-why…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nobody has accused Israel of ordering Black Cube to intervene in the Cypriot election, but in this case, Netanyahu's interests and the interests of the Cypriot opposition overlap.The commission has no…
https://www.moscownews.net/news/279007380/wired-for-war-isra…
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web search NEUTRAL — In this video I show you how to properly clean your air conditioning unit and the condenser coils to get it running at peak efficiency. I go over some items...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7PSzi7NSyc
info
“two of the company’s employees were convicted in Romania in 2016 for spying on the chief prosecutor of the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate, and the company was reportedly hired by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to collect dirt on opposition NGOs in 2017.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific details regarding the 2016 conviction in Romania and the 2017 hiring by Viktor Orban are reported in one web search result. No other independent source corroborates these specific historical incidents involving Black Cube.
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 25, 2015 · I have the latest 2016 Office 365. Windows 10. PowerPoint Question. I created a PP Presentation. I inserted two videos and one audio clip on a couple slides. I can play the entire prese…
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/power…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 4, 2017 · I've tried repairing and also removing and then reinstalling office 2016 but nothing seems to fix the issues. My office 365 profiles were recently moved to active directory which is when…
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/cant-…
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web search NEUTRAL — I know this a nitpicky thing, but I was wondering if others have experienced CTRL+H not working as it should. Typically CTRL+F brings up the find window and CTRL+H brings up the find & replace window.…
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/ctrl-…
help
“According to investigative reporting, Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel’s NSO Group, has been used in nearly a dozen EU countries since 2016.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Although the claim is about Pegasus spyware, the provided evidence search results are empty (0 evidence count, 0 web/wiki results). Therefore, no evidence can be used to confirm or deny the claim.
help
“Pegasus – which can be remotely installed on a target’s cell phone without the target having to click a suspicious link – was used by EU governments to spy on journalists and political opponents, by foreign powers to spy on EU leaders, and by unknown actors to spy on the European Commission itself.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
Similar to Claim 8, the evidence provided for this claim is empty. No evidence was gathered to evaluate the use of Pegasus spyware by various actors.
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“The commission likewise took no action when spyware developed by Israel’s Paragon Solutions was deployed in Cyprus, Denmark, and Italy; or when Predator malware – an analog of Pegasus developed by Israeli firm Cytrox – was used in Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Spain.”
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“The event’s leading sponsor is the same NSO Group whose spyware was used against the European Commission, and according to Politico, the ISS World exhibition is known within the industry as ‘The Wiretappers’ Ball’.”
PENDING
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“Black Cube was founded by two IDF intelligence veterans, and counts on its International Advisory Board two former Mossad directors, a former Israeli Police commissioner, and the former chief of Israel’s National Security Council.”
PENDING
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“One of NSO Group’s three founders served in both the IDF and Mossad.”
PENDING
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“Cytrox received startup funding from Israel Aerospace Industries and was later bought out by a former IDF colonel.”
PENDING
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“Paragon Solutions was founded by none other than former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, along with a former commander in the IDF’s Unit 8200 – a clandestine intelligence unit within the Israeli military.”
PENDING
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“All four companies employ veterans of Unit 8200.”
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“Israel’s Defense Ministry classifies spyware programs like Pegasus and Predator as weapons, meaning it has final say over who NSO Group, Cytrox, and their competitors can sell to.”
PENDING
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“According to an investigation by Haaretz, export licenses for Pegasus were most often granted when doing so would advance Israeli foreign policy interests, or in implicit exchange for the purchasing country signing trade agreements with Tel Aviv or voting with Israel at the UN.”
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“Two weeks before the election in March, Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon told reporters that her government had been pressured into abandoning plans to join the ICJ genocide case against Israel.”
PENDING
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“Germany uses Israel’s Arrow air defense systems, Greece fields its Spyder, Barak MX, and David’s Sling interceptors, while Slovakia uses the Barak MX and Romania the Spyder.”
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“Croatian, Czech, Dutch, German, and Lithuanian tanks are all fitted with the Trophy Active Protection System, manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Systems.”
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“Romania has signed a €2 billion drone-defense deal with Rafael, while Germany’s acquisition of the latest Arrow-4 air defense systems will cost Berlin more than €4 billion.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.