Predator Spyware: Angola Journalist Hacked [Amnesty Report]

However, the regulatory landscape is messy. In a controversial move in late December 2025, the U.S. Treasury actually lifted sanctions on three key executives linked to Intellexa—Merom Harpaz, Andrea Gambazzi, and Sara Hamou. These individuals successfully petitioned for removal by claiming they had separated from the consortium. While the entities themselves remain sanctioned, critics argue that delisting key players weakens the deterrent effect.

Furthermore, the “Intellexa Leaks” revealed in late 2025 painted a disturbing picture of the company’s internal operations. Contrary to the standard industry defense—that vendors only sell the tech and clients control the operations—leaked documents suggested Intellexa retained the ability to remotely access customer logs. This implies a level of involvement that contradicts the “hands-off” narrative often pushed by spyware vendors.

What is the political context in Angola?

The deployment of Predator in Angola doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The country is currently navigating a tense political climate as it approaches general elections in 2027. Infrastructure for the spyware had been detected in the region previously, but pinning it to a specific target changes the narrative significantly.

Observers have noted tightening restrictions on press freedom in Angola, and targeting a figure as central as the Secretary-General of the Union of Angolan Journalists sends a clear message to the rest of the press corps. Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, the Head of Amnesty’s Security Lab, emphasized that this incident proves the software “continues to be used to target civil society and journalists,” regardless of the international outcry.

Why It Matters

The attack on Teixeira Cândido exposes the fundamental failure of the current “naming and shaming” approach to regulating the spyware industry. While Western governments issue sanctions and export controls, the recent delisting of Intellexa executives suggests a lack of regulatory resolve that vendors are quick to exploit. For journalists in the Global South, the implications are dire: the technology to silence them is readily available to any government willing to pay, and the international community’s ability to stop it is currently proving insufficient. This isn’t just a privacy issue; it is a structural threat to democratic accountability that is outpacing the laws designed to contain it.