Thai opposition leaders have raised questions around potential surveillance of their activities, after they received Apple security alerts indicating their iPhones had been targeted by attempted attacks.

Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the alerts raised questions, as they come ahead of a planned no-confidence debate against the government of prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, but stopped short of accusing any state agency, and did not publicly identify any suspected party.

Security alerts

Abhisit, now leader of the Democrat Party, said he had received the notification on Monday, 2 November, amid similar alerts that Apple has sent to people around the world starting late last week, according to user reports.

The following day, People’s Party leader Nattapong Ruangpanyawut posted a screenshot of a similar alert he had received.

Speaking on Tuesday, digital economy and society minister Chaichanok Chidchob said there was no evidence linking Thai security agencies to the alerts, or any indications that NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware was involved.

Political surveillance

A government spokesman said suggestions of state involvement were baseless.

He acknowledged to AFP that Thai government agencies had in the past submitted budget requests to acquire Pegasus, but that no such funds had been allocated in the current or previous financial year. He did not indicate whether any request resulted in a purchase.

In July 2022, Canada’s Citizen Lab, working with Thailand’s iLaw and DigitalReach, reported that at least 30 activists, lawyers, academics and human rights campaigners had been targeted by active Pegasus smartphone installations between October 2020 and November 2021.