Irish Times: Paid Substantial Sums to Israeli Spyware Firm

Here’s a summary of ⁤the key data from the ‌provided text:

Irish Garda (police) Purchases: The Irish Garda purchased €276,000 worth of equipment from Cognyte, an Israel-based surveillance⁣ technology company.Additional,smaller‍ purchases⁣ may have occurred. Cognyte’s Controversies: Cognyte ⁢has a history ⁤of controversy, including:
Being linked to the use of fake social media accounts for data collection (leading to action by Meta/Facebook/Instagram).
⁤ Being used by ⁣the Brazilian intelligence⁤ service to ‌track‌ citizens without oversight.
Facing divestment from Norway’s government pension fund due to ethical concerns.
Political Context: The purchases are occurring ‍amidst calls ​from the Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) to cease purchases of Israeli military‍ equipment, citing a court ruling ⁣regarding illegally annexed territory in Palestine.
Secrecy: Details are limited ‍due⁣ to national security concerns. A Freedom of Information request was refused, and garda headquarters declined to ⁢comment on procurement matters.
Company History: Cognyte was formerly part of Verint systems.* Global Reach: Cognyte claims to have 1,000 clients in 100 countries.