© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How governments use spyware to monitor citizens’ phones

Season 2024 Episode 344 | 7m 16s

This past week, the White House detailed the scope of a massive Chinese hacking campaign that reaped information from American cell phone networks. But an HBO original documentary, “Surveilled,” says some governments use commercial spyware to monitor their own citizens. To learn more, John Yang speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, who produced the documentary.

Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by Consumer Cellular and Cunard Cruise Line. For a complete list of funders for the PBS NewsHour and PBS NewsHour weekend, click here.
Extras
Supreme Court ruling proves Federal Reserve is unique agency, Lisa Cook's lawyer says
American dream slipping out of reach for many DACA recipients, new report finds
Willy Vlautin on spotlighting working-class American life in his novels and music
Required Bible stories for Texas students challenge separation of church and state
News Wrap: Supreme Court rules constitutional protections apply to location data
What the Supreme Court rulings mean for presidential power
June 29, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump's focus on the SAVE Act
Venezuela rescue efforts grow desperate as death toll rises and aftershock rattles country
News Wrap: Bolton pleads guilty to retaining classified informationNEWS WRAP