Sen. Wyden says Oregon should divest from spyware company

By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden says the Oregon state employees pension fund should drop its investment in NSO Group, whose smartphone-hacking tool has targeted human rights monitors, journalists, politicians and others. The Oregon Democrat’s comments came as he and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff called on the Biden Administration to sanction NSO Group and three other corporations for enabling human rights violations by authoritarian regimes. In response, NSO Group insisted it has extensive human rights and compliance programs. Oregon in 2017 invested $233 million in a private equity firm which later acquired a majority share of NSO Group.