The former US National Security Agency employee, Edward Snowden, warned Israelis of the power of governments in surveillance and espionage. In a speech via video service, Tuesday.
Snoden stressed Israel's technical capabilities, but warned that accepting a lot of government surveillance, and being easily delivered on the grounds that they were necessary for security reasons, posed serious risks.
"If we allow ourselves to be terrorized by someone who has only a knife, to reorganize our societies to suit the authority of the state ... we stop being citizens to become things," said Snowden, speaking from an undisclosed location in Moscow.
The 35-year-old Israeli-born NESO, known for its Pegasus program, spoke.
"The idea is that companies like this are growing exponentially all over the world," Snowden was quoted by AFP as saying.
NSO says its program is dedicated to investigating and preventing crime and terrorism, and has announced that it is investigating allegations of inappropriate uses.
In the year 2013, Snowden leaked thousands of US classified documents to the press, which reveal the extensive official surveillance of private information, which began after the September attacks.
Since then, Snowden has been in exile after the United States accused him of spying and stealing state secrets, but said he still hopes to return to his homeland, which he loves.
Snowden spoke to a special audience in Tel Aviv on the occasion of the organization of an Israeli public relations agency.
