Amnesty International Accuses Morocco's DGST of Running Vast Surveillance Machine Targeting Journalists and Activists

Amnesty International has published a damning report accusing Morocco's domestic intelligence service of operating an extensive surveillance apparatus designed to monitor, intimidate, and ultimately silence journalists, human rights defenders, and other critical voices. The report, titled "Inside Morocco's surveillance machine," was released on Thursday and draws on testimony from a former employee of the Directorate General for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), along with leaked documents and prior journalistic investigations.

According to the rights organization, the surveillance campaign combines sophisticated digital spyware with older, more hands-on techniques. Amnesty says the tools at the DGST's disposal include Pegasus spyware—developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group—alongside physical tailing, wiretapping, hidden microphones, and malware-infected mobile phones sold to targets through ordinary shops.

The report alleges that the DGST was the specific body responsible for deploying Pegasus in Morocco, and that the spyware was used against activists and journalists between 2017 and 2021. Morocco has consistently denied using spyware against its own citizens, and Rabat has rejected similar allegations in the past. Amnesty said it contacted Moroccan authorities four weeks before publication but received no response. Al Jazeera could not immediately reach Moroccan officials for comment.

The human cost described in the report is stark. Citing the whistleblower, Amnesty says people are secretly recorded on video and audio in detention, in their own offices and cars, and even inside their bedrooms. Phone calls are systematically intercepted and monitored, according to the report, and mobile phones pre-infected with malware by DGST agents are sold in shops.

The report further alleges that the agency infected internet cafes with remote-controlled spyware, that devices were physically compromised at airports, and that microphones were concealed in the light fixtures of the apartment belonging to journalist Omar Radi, who was later imprisoned. These details, if verified, suggest a surveillance program that extends well beyond digital interception into the physical spaces of its targets.

Amnesty's Security Lab said it matched 103 Moroccan phone numbers entered into the Pegasus system between September and December 2017 to specific individuals. The breakdown of those numbers is telling: 65 belonged to members of civil society, including 34 human rights defenders and 22 journalists or media workers. Another 25 were linked to political figures or officials, and five belonged to diplomats or representatives of international organizations.

Donncha O Cearbhaill, who heads Amnesty's Security Lab, noted that the records show phone numbers of prominent human rights defenders and journalists were among the first entered into the Pegasus system. The timing and targeting pattern, he suggested, indicate that the surveillance was not incidental but deliberate and focused on those seen as threats to the state.

The report also states that Amnesty found evidence of spyware being delivered over the state-owned Maroc Telecom network. Beyond Pegasus, Morocco reportedly purchased surveillance tools from companies based in Israel, the European Union, and the United States. This detail raises uncomfortable questions for governments that allow such technology to be exported without binding human rights safeguards.

Amnesty Secretary-General Agnes Callamard described the situation bluntly, saying Morocco has wholly embraced techno-authoritarian practices. The organization is calling on Moroccan authorities to halt the surveillance and on other states to stop exporting spyware to Morocco until adequate human rights protections are in place.

The personal data harvested from activists and human rights defenders, according to the NGO, is not merely stored—it is used to fuel public smear campaigns aimed at discrediting those under surveillance. This combination of digital intrusion and reputational warfare, the report argues, creates a climate of fear that discourages dissent and independent journalism.

The investigation was conducted as part of a collaboration with 14 media organizations coordinated by Forbidden Stories, a nonprofit that continues the work of jailed or killed journalists. Such cross-border collaborations have become a key method for exposing the global spyware trade, since the companies involved often operate across multiple jurisdictions and legal regimes.

For years, NGOs including Amnesty have accused Morocco of using Pegasus to monitor journalists, activists, and political figures. The NSO Group's spyware has been at the center of global controversy since 2021, when a leaked list of potential targets suggested widespread abuse by multiple governments. Morocco has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, but the accumulation of reports and forensic evidence has kept the allegations alive.

The findings carry significant implications beyond Morocco's borders. They underscore how commercial spyware, originally marketed for counterterrorism and law enforcement, can be repurposed to suppress political opponents and independent media. They also highlight the role of telecommunications infrastructure—in this case, a state-owned network—in enabling surveillance at scale.

For Moroccan journalists and activists, the report adds to an already difficult environment. The alleged targeting of Omar Radi, whose home was reportedly bugged through his light fixtures, has become emblematic of the risks faced by those who challenge powerful institutions. The report suggests that surveillance is not an isolated abuse but a systemic practice embedded within the state's security architecture.

Amnesty's call for action places responsibility on both Morocco and the international community. The organization urges an end to the surveillance programs and a halt to spyware exports until safeguards are in place. Whether those appeals translate into policy changes remains uncertain, but the report adds a detailed, sourced account to a growing body of evidence about how surveillance technology is being used against civil society.