Amid the varied cast of people whose numbers appear on a list of individuals selected by NSO Group's client governments, one name stands out as particularly ironic. Pavel Durov, the enigmatic Russian-born tech billionaire who has built his reputation on creating an unhackable messaging app, finds his own number on the list, The Guardian reported.

Durov's number, which appears on the list in early 2018, was the UK mobile number which has been linked to his personal Telegram account for years, it said.