The idea that smartphones are listening to us is no longer a conspiracy theory but a confirmed reality. However, as revealed in the chilling HBO documentary Surveilled, this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the threats posed by modern surveillance technology.
The one-hour documentary, anchored by Ronan Farrow’s investigative work, explores the unsettling reality of digital surveillance. For anyone who’s ever experienced the eerie phenomenon of seeing ads or articles related to a conversation they had moments earlier, Surveilled validates and amplifies those fears. Through Farrow’s meticulous reporting, the film exposes how our smartphones, these indispensable extensions of ourselves, can covertly act as tools for espionage—tracking, listening, and observing without our consent.
At the center of this digital dystopia is the notorious Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group. Designed to infiltrate smartphones, Pegasus can extract GPS data, contacts, photos, and even encrypted communications. Worse still, it can activate cameras and microphones to record audio and video without the user’s knowledge. According to Farrow,
“The cutting edge of modern surveillance lies in these digital tools, and they are becoming more powerful every day.”
The documentary details Pegasus’s use by governments and powerful entities to monitor journalists, activists, dissidents, and even ordinary citizens. Farrow highlights the global reach of Pegasus, noting that at least 45 countries—some of them democratic—have employed the software, often secretly.
Farrow’s investigation takes him to Tel Aviv, where he confronts NSO representatives about their practices. They defend their work as essential for combating terrorism. Yet, insights from former NSO employees, disillusioned by events like the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, reveal the darker side of this technology.
The Citizen Lab, a research group based in Toronto specializing in digital security, provides additional context. Representative Ron Deibert warns, “Authoritarian practices are spreading globally, and the unregulated surveillance industry is a major driver of these trends.”
As Surveilled concludes, Farrow delivers a sobering verdict: “The only true path to privacy is a life without a smartphone.”
