Time magazine on Wednesday included Israeli cyber company NSO Group in its list of the 100 most influential companies of 2022.
The company gained global infamy after reports that it had sold its Pegasus spyware to foreign governments, which subsequently used it to spy on activists, journalists and politicians.
The spyware enabled these actors to steal sensitive information from targets' smartphones by activating their cameras and microphones without their knowledge, according to Time.
Several months ago, the Israeli newspaper Calcalist alleged that the Israel Police had used Pegasus to spy on citizens without prior approval from courts, though Insp.-Gen. Kobi Shabtai denied the accusation.
Israel Police Deputy Head of Investigations Yoav Telem said the police would only hack into mobile phones with court approval and against suspects of serious crimes.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.