The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution calling for reforms to prevent the abuse of spyware and providing recommendations to member states such as Hungary, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Spain to counter illegal deployment of spyware
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2023) The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution calling for reforms to prevent the abuse of spyware and providing recommendations to member states such as Hungary, Poland, Greece, Cyprus and Spain to counter illegal deployment of spyware.
As many as 411 lawmakers voted in favor of the resolution, 97 voted against and 37 more abstained.
"In a resolution adopted on Thursday, the European Parliament outlined the reforms necessary to curb spyware abuse. Based on a year-long investigation into the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, MEPs (members of the European Parliament) argue that the illicit use of spyware has put 'democracy itself at stake' and call for credible investigations, legislative changes and better enforcement of existing rules to tackle abuse," the parliament said in a statement.
Lawmakers urged Hungary and Poland to ensure "independent and specific" judicial authorization before using spyware technologies and thorough investigate cases of abuses, the statement read, also calling on Cyprus, Greece to repeal export licenses for spyware that are not in line with EU law.
The European Parliament also urged Spain to conduct "full, fair and effective" investigations into cases of illegal deployment of spyware where it is yet to be determined who was behind the authorization for its use.
Earlier in the year, a number of high-profile UN experts demanded that the Spanish government thoroughly investigate cases of alleged spying targeting Catalan public figures and activists after the independence bid in 2017 with the use of Pegasus spyware.
The international scandal over Pegasus spyware, used by the Israeli authorities to spy on terrorists, broke in July 2021 after a joint media investigation unveiled that the spyware had also been used to keep an eye on politicians, businessmen, activists, journalists, and opposition figures around the world.
