EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders wrote in a letter that iPhone maker Apple had told him in 2021 that his iPhone had possibly been hacked using Pegasus. The letter has been seen by Reuters.

NSO argues that its products are used to fight crime, but human rights defenders and technologists have documented cases in which NSO technology has been used to target reporters, lawyers and even nutritionists.

One of Biden's main campaign advisory firms had also been warned by the software giant that it was in the crosshairs of the same Russian hackers who intervened in the 2016 US election.

"I never imagined that I would live to see our courts condemn the NSA's activities as unlawful," Snowden said in a message posted to Twitter.

"If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case," WikiLeaks has tweeted last week.