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This documentary exposes the hidden history of a sprawling global surveillance network that began decades ago and continues to this day. The story centers on PROMIS, a revolutionary people-tracking software developed in the 1970s by a company called Inslaw.

The program takes a dark turn when the U.S. Department of Justice is alleged to have stolen the software, modified it with a secret backdoor, and, in cooperation with Israeli intelligence, sold the Trojan Horse version to foreign governments to spy on them.

This investigation follows the trail of journalist Danny Casolaro, who was found dead in a hotel room while investigating the conspiracy he called "The Octopus". His death was ruled a suicide, but his family believes he was murdered for getting too close to a web of espionage involving illegal weapons, the Iran-Contra affair, and the Reagan-era White House.

The legacy of PROMIS lives on through more advanced programs like P-TECH, a company with terrorist financing ties that had access to the computer systems of the FAA, NORAD, and the White House on 9/11. The documentary culminates by exposing Pegasus, an invasive modern spyware sold by Israel's NSO Group that can turn any smartphone into a "spy in the pocket," monitoring your calls, texts, camera, and microphone without your knowledge.