I think its clear by this point that everyones phone can be hacked by a state actor, so anybody who has cause for concern should act accordingly.
The fact these exploits are abused to go after human rights activist and other innocent people is lamentable. But, that doesn't make it inherently - or even in reality - evil. When used against terrorists, it is invaluable in saving lives. By tracking their location, they can easily be apprehended, thus avoiding costly manhunts that endanger innocent civilians. By reading their messagaes, security forces can stop an attack before it happens and avoid loss of life and escalating the voilence.
I also wish this technology didn't exist but it does and it's application is far more nuanced then a simplistic black and white case of it being bad.
Let’s just surrender our encryption too and let the spooks spy on everything openly because of an isolated “terrorist” attack that also most likely is a false flag orchestrated by the same spooks.
The fact these exploits are abused to go after human rights activist and other innocent people is lamentable. But, that doesn't make it inherently - or even in reality - evil. When used against terrorists, it is invaluable in saving lives. By tracking their location, they can easily be apprehended, thus avoiding costly manhunts that endanger innocent civilians. By reading their messagaes, security forces can stop an attack before it happens and avoid loss of life and escalating the voilence.
I also wish this technology didn't exist but it does and it's application is far more nuanced then a simplistic black and white case of it being bad.