Morocco: Whistleblower Reveals How Authorities Used a Web of Surveillance to Silence Journalists and Activists

What the report says

Amnesty International says Morocco’s authorities have built an extensive surveillance system to monitor and pressure journalists, activists and other critics, according to a report published in London on 1 October 2026 and carried by AllAfrica. The organization says the system blends digital spying tools with physical monitoring, including recording people in detention, offices, homes, cars, airports and other settings, and using leaked data, forensic evidence and witness accounts to support its findings.

A central part of the report is testimony from a former Moroccan security agent, identified by the pseudonym Safir, who described how the Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire, or DGST, allegedly carried out surveillance operations. Amnesty says the evidence points to Pegasus spyware use against activists and journalists between 2017 and 2021, despite official denials from Moroccan authorities. The group also says the surveillance network involved international technology vendors, including companies based in Israel, Europe and the United States.

According to the report, targeted people could be tracked through infected devices, intercepted calls, and spyware planted through physical access, malicious links or network-based attacks. Amnesty also says some phone shops were used to sell devices already infected with spyware, and that informants and hidden recording devices were part of the broader system. The organization argues that the purpose of these tactics was to intimidate, discredit and silence dissent, raising concerns about privacy, freedom of expression and due process in Morocco.