Also within the European Union, journalists, opposition politicians, critical prosecutors, diplomats, lawyers and civil society actors are being spied on with Pegasus and similar tools. This violates Union law. The European Parliament therefore decided on 10 March 2022 to set up a Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware.
It should gather information on the extent to which the Member States‘ use of the surveillance tools violates the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Charter and thereby jeopardises the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, such as democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. To this end, the investigation mandate consists of 18 different tasks.
The Committee organises hearings and closed meetings, journeys, events and commissions studies. After 12 months, its work ends with a final report.
All hearings and meetings:
… Weiterlesen
The PEGA committee held an exchange of views with the representatives of the NSO Group. It was followed by a hearing on Stock-taking of EU spyware providers to hear experts on the current landscape of spyware providers in Europe.
Exchange of Views with NSO
Chaim Gelfand, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of NSO
Nicola Bonucci, Nicola Bonucci, Partner in the Global Trade and Investigations & White Collar Defense practices at Paul Hastings law firm (Paris)
Hearing: Stocktaking of EU spyware providers
Edin Omanovic, Privacy International
Stephanie Kirchgaessner, The Guardian
Ben Wagner, TU Delft… Weiterlesen
The use of spyware massively undermines trust in digital privacy. Are major platforms aware of this, and can or do they and, above all, their users want to take legal action against it?
The General Data Protection Regulation at least makes it possible to hold companies accountable for breaches of data protection and privacy. But what about in the case of mercenary spy programs used by police forces or intelligence agencies? Do companies even cooperate with security authorities in the use of Pegasus & Co?
Panel 1:
Kaja Ciglic, Microsoft
Charley Snyder, Google
David Agranovich, Meta
Panel 2:
Ross Anderson, Cambridge University
Patricia Egger, Proton AG… Weiterlesen
In Panel 1, we are interested in the legal situation in European countries when other nations use mercenary spying programs like Pegasus there. For example, what changes in the legal situation when such surveillance is intercepted in the EU by a third country? Panel 2 analysed the promises of European governments to use spy software from Pegasus & Co. only in a legally compliant way. Is it even possible to verify the possibly illegal use of a spyware with the available means?
Panel 1:
Román Ramírez, Instituto de Empresa/ Rooted Con
Michel Arditti, Securewyse Consulting and Services
Panel 2:
Sessa Duro, International Association of Judges
Wojciech Wiewiórowski, European Data Protection Supervisor
Cindy Cohn, Electronic Frontier Foundation… Weiterlesen
Which countries and companies in the European Union use Pegasus, and how does this violate privacy?
Ana Brian Nougrères, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy
Peggy Hicks, director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR)… Weiterlesen
In the meeting, the Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware elected Raphaël Glucksmann as a fourth Vice-Chair.
Constanze Kurz (netzpolitik.org, Germany)
Adam Haertlé (ZaufanaTrzecia Strona, Poland)
Bill Marczak (Citizen Lab, Canada)… Weiterlesen
Today, April 19, the EU Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into the use of Pegasus and similar spyware in Europe met for the first time in Brussels. On the agenda was the election of the chair and its three representatives. The elected members were:
Chair: Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, NL)
First Vice-Chair: Sándor Rónai (S&D, HU)
Second Vice-Chair: Diana Riba i Giner (Greens/EFA, ES)
Third Vice-Chair: Moritz Körner (Renew, DE)
This first regular session also gathered three different experts on mercenary spyware, specifically Pegasus:
Laurent Richard & Sandrine Rigaud (Forbidden Stories, France)
John Scott-Railton & Bill Marczak (Citizen Lab, Canada)
Donncha Ó Cearbhail & Likhita Banerji, (Amnesty International, Germany)… Weiterlesen
Heute konstituiert sich der Untersuchungsausschuss des EU-Parlaments zur Pegasus-Spionagesoftware. Erst gestern wurde bekannt, dass neben Ungarn und Polen auch spanische Behörden die Software benutzt haben sollen, um dutzende katalanische Separatist*innen zu überwachen. Cornelia Ernst, innenpolitische Sprecherin von DIE LINKE im Europaparlament und Mitglied im Ausschuss, erklärt dazu: „Nichts rechtfertigt eine totale Überwachung, wie sie mit der Spionagesoftware Pegasus betrieben wurde und wird. Durch die Untersuchung des Europäischen Parlaments muss klarwerden, welche Regierungen gegen EU-Recht und Grundrechte verstoßen haben, indem sie Journalist*innen, Menschenrechtsverteidiger*innen und politische Gegner*innen unrechtmäßig ausspioniert haben. Außerdem müssen wir die gesamte Industrie, die hinter solcher Spionagesoftware steckt, unter die Lupe nehmen. Denn Pegasus ist nur die Spitze des Eisbergs. Wir fordern schon lange ein umfassendes Verbot von Massenüberwachungstechnologien. Das Parlament muss jetzt zur treibenden Kraft werden, sowohl für ein Verbot als auch für harte Konsequenzen für Mitgliedstaaten, die die Software unrechtmäßig eingesetzt haben.“… Weiterlesen