© 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
What to know about the U.S.-Ukraine talks and proposal to end Russia’s war
News Wrap: Winter weather drenches Gaza tent camps as Netanyahu heads to U.S.
A look back at 2025’s chart-toppers, best songs and standout artists
Photographer reflects on capturing Zohran Mamdani’s improbable rise to prominence
December 28, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
December 27, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode
How a company in landlocked Nebraska is helping fight plastic pollution in oceans
Scientists work to decode wolf howls in Yellowstone with AI technology
News Wrap: Russia strikes Kyiv a day before Trump and Zelenskyy’s meeting
British panto production blends holiday tradition with Muslim culture and humor