Investigation into Pegasus Spyware Use

Summary

The European Parliament is setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the misuse of Pegasus and similar spyware. The goal is to see if these tools violate EU laws or fundamental human rights.

9 10.03.2022

Other

justice

human rights

european union

public administration

information and information processing

Key points

In force from 10/03/2022

The European Parliament decides to establish a specialized committee of inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware.
The committee will investigate how much surveillance technology is being used by Member States, specifically mentioning concerns regarding Hungary and Poland.
A key focus is determining if spyware usage has negatively impacted democratic processes and elections.
The inquiry will assess if there are grounds for the EU to impose sanctions or restrictive measures against third countries involved in these activities.