Hungarian elite switch to US phone numbers amid renewed Pegasus surveillance fears
Members of Hungary's NER elite are increasingly obtaining +1 American phone numbers because the NSO Group has blocked Pegasus installation on devices with those codes, and they fear renewed spying after the fall of the Fidesz government.
A growing number of individuals in Hungary's NER elite are requesting American telephone numbers that begin with the +1 country code. This move stems from the Pegasus surveillance program, whose developer NSO Group recently barred the spyware from being installed on devices using +1 numbers. The Pegasus controversy erupted in 2021 when an international investigation exposed that the software had been placed on the phones of journalists, lawyers, entrepreneurs and their close circles, even targeting those previously seen as friendly to the Orbán-aligned government.
After the recent change of government that removed Fidesz from power, the elite perceive a heightened risk of monitoring and are turning to US numbers as a defensive measure. According to the article's source, the Hungarian government does not currently have a contract with NSO Group, and some fear that foreign authorities might also focus on them, since illegal surveillance is not confined to Hungary. The phenomenon reflects lingering anxieties over digital privacy and state-linked espionage.
Why it matters
It shows how political shifts can revive concerns over digital surveillance, prompting elite groups to alter personal security habits.
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