According to a new investigation by Amnesty International, Pakistani authorities have employed a highly invasive Israeli spyware tool known as Predator—created by the firm Intellexa—to surveil citizens, raising serious human rights concerns.

The investigation, titled “Intellexa Leaks,” reveals that at least one human rights lawyer in Balochistan was targeted after receiving a malicious WhatsApp link. Analysis showed the link behaved like prior Predator “one-click” infection attempts.

Once installed, Predator can access a device’s camera, microphone, messages, calls, emails, location, and contacts, essentially turning smartphones into 24/7 surveillance tools. Amnesty’s report warns that this technology threatens privacy, freedom of expression, and civil liberties in Pakistan.

It is the first known publicly documented case of Predator use in Pakistan; previously, the country had already faced scrutiny for mass-surveillance systems and internet censorship tools supplied by foreign firms.