The European Parliament investigating spyware use in Europe today criticized some of Europe's most powerful politicians and said they share responsibility for invasions on phones with malicious software.
Members of the European Parliament spent months investigating a series of scandals in countries such as Spain, the Greece, Hungary and Poland on how spyware ended up on the phones of opposition figures and journalists. The results of the research "are shocking and should concern every European citizen", said a draft of the report by the Dutch Sophie In't Veld.
The Dutch MP she said in an interview with Politico that all member states have spyware at their disposal, whether they admit it or not.
"The manipulation of national elections with the use of spyware directly affects the composition of EU institutions and the political balance in EU governing bodies. The four or five governments, accused of abuse software espionages, they represent almost a quarter of the EU's population, so they carry significant weight in the Council," her report says.
"We are very worried about American democracy, we are worried about democracy in Brazil... Why are we worried about so many things besides democracy within the European Union itself?" asked Sophie In't Veld in the interview.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis are two leaders at the center of national debates about the use of spyware by national security agencies. In Hungary and Poland, the opposition has also attacked the government leadership after revelations that spyware was used for political purposes.
Sophie In't Veld is now asking the Commission to launch a full investigation into all these allegations and suspicions of spyware against Commission officials and the meeting of all heads of state, and the European Council, to dedicate a summit on issue.
Members of parliament investigating the issue have visited countries that have had spyware incidents in recent months. They visited Greece last week and Cyprus, Poland and Israel before that.
The draft includes the first results of the research. The researchers will now turn to recommending policy measures to curb spyware abuse and are expected to publish a final report next year.
In't Veld is also calling for a moratorium on spyware until the EU establishes common rules for the use of malware.
It says the moratorium could be lifted on a country-by-country basis if the countries concerned can demonstrate they have a framework in place for the responsible use of intrusive hacking tools, if they consent to EU oversight and if they immediately remove export licenses for software that does not meet the criteria of the EU.
Parliament's plan would not require a ban on spyware in Europe, as there may be exceptional cases where spyware can be useful, provided it is used within the limits of the law, In't Veld said.
According to In't Veld, “frankly, the whole concept of national security is abused... Once national security is invoked, transparency no longer applies, citizens' rights no longer apply. Parliamentary or judicial control no longer applies. It is basically an area of iniquity."
