nso has strongly denied the allegations.lor is the boss of oxford information labs and a cybersecurity expert. speaking to the bbc when the story first emerged, she explained how the hacking tool dubbed pegasus worked. it will make a voice call, which doesn't even need to be answered by the recipient, and then once you are inside the up, it's possible to install software or spy on the user —— inside the app. citizen lab, the cybersecurity research laboratory that worked with whatsapp to investigate the hacking told reuters the targets of the software included well—known television personalities, and people who had faced "assassination attempts and threats of violence." as i mentioned earlier, n50 is pushing back strongly against the claims, saying in a statement that "in the strongest possible terms, we dispute today's allegations and will vigorously fight them. our technology is not designed or licensed for use against human rights activists and journalists. " we'll have further analysis later in the news briefing on this s

what is what's out‘s investigation unveiling in terms of what this organisation, nso, is?one a thorough investigation stop you there is a question of trust. this happened in may and only yesterday they contacted the people affected. that has taken quite a long time. as you quite rightly say, many millions of people are using this platform and how do we now feel if there is this software, pegasus, spyware that can be installed and give access to your phone. the vulnerability is quite fearful. in a world where cyber stability must be at the core of all services we use, we are increasingly reliant on digital services and we must feel confident we are services and we must feel confident we a re protected services and we must feel confident we are protected and feel confidence in what we are using them for. once again it is facebook, a facebook owned owned service, they own whatsapp, cambridge analytical scandal brought to the four the fact that facebook, when it comes to security and protects us, is not doing a good job? —— can be stuffy i wouldn't make too much of that that a

nso group has vehemently denied any wrongdoing whatsoever and they are going to fight this case.sapp users, quite a few of us around the world watching this, should we be concerned? i think the way that whatsapp dealt with this was very responsible, because back in may they made their announcement very quickly after they found out. they issued a release. so the standard sort of advice is don't panic but do patch. so when you see those updates coming through in any kind of application, do update your systems. the lesson at the end of all this is whatever the app, nothing is safe, nothing secure? nothing is 10096 secure, no matter how good it is. some would say it's good, that if it's terrorist activities? these things are never black and white. nso, it strongly denies this and what it says is it helps law enforcement and counterterrorism across the world. in those sort of circumstances, i think most people would go, yes, we do want that sort of intelligence. it's when it crosses over the line and starts to undermine human rights protections that people are worried. whatsapp is own

nso strongly denies the allegations. we will have more detail on that in the business briefing.s said that a slow environmental genocide is taking place in southern nigeria's bayelsa state. speaking in an exclusive interview with the bbc as part of a commission investigating oil spills in the niger delta, drjohn sentamu said that oil companies needed to end a culture of double standards in nigeria. the bbc‘s mayeni jones travelled with the commission earlier this year and sent this report. this was once a thriving ecosystem. and oil spills have devastated these shores. translation: it is the oil. if the oil. even if you manage to catch a fish, it is not fit to eat. there area fish, it is not fit to eat. there are a few that are ok, and that is what we eat. but on others, their heads are the only things that are left. they are so slim! they have no flash. —— flash, so it's hard for us to feed ourselves. bayelsa was where oil was first discovered in nigeria in the 1950s. it's completely change the lives of people in these communities. the water and the waterways in bayelsa state a

nso has previously been sued by victims of hacking but never by a technology company for spying on itshe fire injune 2017. since then, there's been a desperate search for answers and justice by those left behind. parts of the report seen by the bbc are critical of the fire service response on the night of the fire. roy wilshire, chair of the national fire chiefs council, told bbc breakfast what lessons have been learnt from the report. we've not yet read the report in full. we've seen the headlines. we will see it at ten o'clock, along with everyone else. i think there are obviously lessons that have been identified. our task is to read that report thoroughly, turn those lessons into lessons learned and then make sure that we move forward, improving fire and rescue services and helping to serve the communities that we should do. do you feel, this is something that we touched on yesterday, i know there are details within that report which obviously you don't want to go into until it's officially released at ten o'clock this morning. do you feel that members of the fire service have been

unlimited resources to go afr these guys, there's really not all that much they can do. ♪ >> smith: nsopermit it to be used for spyingn critics or journalists. ♪ khashoggi had not been able to work for months.s. he c travel, but he was still banned from writing, tweeting, or appearing on tv. >> he was still hoping that this decree or ordewill be reversed. line for a while, then they the change." then i see him later, and still the order has not been chaed. i remember him saying, you know, "i have to do something about is. me being at home, not being able to, you know, tweet, write, especially write, is-is-is no longer bearable." ♪ >> what has been described as a coordinated crackdown on dissent in the country. >> saudi authorities havet carried rests of over 40 critics... >> more than a dozen prominentnt women'activists were arrested. >> smith: then, in september 2017, mohammed binalman's purges began. >> they arrested a huge number of liberal-minded reformers. >> smith: dozens of men and women-- writers, academics,ss busiople, and an economist-- were rounded up. >> the crown prince is

marczak at citizen lati >> we were able to both identify the link that he'd received was connected to nsour phone micrhone on, it can turn on your phone camera, it turns e.ur earphone in a spy it can break any encrypted message on your phone. that's technology mbs got from his new friends in secret in israel. ♪ >> smith: is there activist le yahya al-assiri can do to prevent themselves from being hacked? >> unfortunately, the's really not. for these sorts top-tier targets, when the government is willing to expend essentially unlimited resources to go after these guere's really not all that much they can do. ♪ >> smith: nso did not comment oi asri's case but told us it does not tolerate misuse of itse software oit it to be used for spyingn critics or journalists. ♪ back in saudi arabia, jal khashoggi had not been able to work for months.s. he could travel, but he was still banned from writing, tweeting, or appearing on tv. >> he was still hoping that this decree or order will be reversed. so he said, "maybe if i toe the line for a while, then the change." then i sim later, and stillde the

-- >> and can you share with me, sometimes the inspectors were out there several times in one year, nso what can be done to make sure that this won't happen in the future? >> i'm making sure that we get every permit required for all dispensaries. in the past, i wasn't part of the program, but from my understanding and the path a referral went to the department until land use was approved, then, the referral came back and it was marked approved or disapproved, but there wasn't specific conditions stated explicitly on that referral. whereas with our referral now, when -- when we sent those referrals over, there was an explanation as to why they denied them and what they would have to do. >> okay. >> but that -- that's all i can say. what -- i also want to say that i personally spoke to larry kessler, and larry kessler does not remember any phone call with anyone from bloom room authorizing him. at the director's hearing -- >> no, and i appreciate that. i don't think that is as concerning to me as the fact -- >> and i agree with you as far as -- >> and then, the last question, going back t