EU lawmakers call for strict regulation of spyware after Pegasus scandal

EU lawmakers have voted to push member states and the European Commission to strictly regulate the use of spyware by governments following the Pegasus scandal involving Israeli-made software.

A special committee in the European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted the recommendations and called for those who used Pegasus to spy on politicians and journalists to be held accountable. The parliament inquiry shed light on anti-democratic and illicit practices in some EU governments, said the inquiry report’s lead MEP, Sophie in ‘t Veld.

The lawmakers’ probe covered Pegasus use in EU members Spain, Greece, Poland, Cyprus, and Hungary and gathered information from Israel, where the software was developed by the company NSO. The investigation was launched after a consortium of 17 media outlets uncovered the use of Pegasus to spy on journalists, politicians, rights activists, and business bosses in different countries.

Pegasus can surreptitiously install on a target’s smartphone, read messages, geolocate, and secretly turn on the device’s camera and microphone. NSO markets the technology as a tool to target criminals, but many cases worldwide have been discovered of governments using it against dissidents, journalists, and political opponents.

In the committee, In ‘t Veld said that if the commission and the European Council representing the member states “follow up vigorously, this cannot happen again.” However, she stressed that justice had not been served in punishing anybody over the use of Pegasus in Europe or its export by EU countries to other nations. Investigations in EU countries have been hampered by obstruction, intimidation, and harassment, she added, noting that some governments had wrongly invoked “national security” to shield the use of Pegasus.

The report’s recommendations include halting the use of Pegasus and similar spyware and creating a European tech lab to assist citizens targeted by such software. In ‘t Veld expects the bloc’s executive to act swiftly now that the committee report has been adopted.