Greek Intelligence Official Said to Admit to Spying on Journalist: Details

The head of Greek intelligence instructed a parliamentary committee his company had spied on a journalist, two sources current stated, in a disclosure that coincides with rising strain on the federal government to make clear the usage of surveillance malware. The committee’s closed-door listening to final week was referred to as after the chief of the socialist opposition PASOK get together lodged a grievance with high court docket prosecutors over an tried bugging of his cell phone with surveillance software program.

PASOK chief Nikos Androulakis made his grievance amid rising concern amongst European Union officers about spyware and adware retailers and the usage of surveillance software program.

At the July 29 listening to, Panagiotis Kontoleon, chief of the EYP intelligence service, instructed parliament’s establishments and transparency committee that his service had spied on Thanasis Koukakis, a monetary journalist who works for CNN Greece, two lawmakers current on the listening to instructed Reuters.

“He admitted the surveillance, absolutely,” one of many lawmakers current on the listening to instructed Reuters on Wednesday, declining to be recognized as a result of the assembly was non-public.

Kontoleon declined to remark when contacted by Reuters.

Government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou instructed Reuters that Greek authorities don’t use the spyware and adware allegedly deployed within the hacking of Koukakis and don’t do enterprise with firms promoting it.

“The government has nothing to hide and has called on the justice system to investigate the cases thoroughly,” he stated.

“Without crossing to the extreme of technophobia, such malware does pose a threat and must be tackled efficiently.”

Spy providers in democracies face fixed strain to be extra clear, together with from lawmakers searching for to stop abuses and enhance efficiency, public concern over surveillance by authorities, and, in some international locations, a necessity by companies to make their work recognized to widen avenues of recruitment.

Need for secrecy

But companies say they a lot steadiness these calls for with the necessity for secrecy, arguing that a lot of their work to maintain their international locations protected ought to stay labeled to guard sources.

In April, a Greek prosecutor started an investigation into an allegation by Koukakis that his smartphone had been contaminated by surveillance software program.

Last 12 months when the allegation was reported by Greek media, left wing SYRIZA, Greece’s largest opposition get together, requested for the parliamentary committee to convene to look into the matter.

Its request was turned down by the committee chairman. But after Androulakis submitted his grievance to prosecutors in late July, a request by each SYRIZA and PASOK for the committee to convene was accepted and a listening to adopted.

SYRIZA has formally requested the prime minister to make clear each circumstances which, it says, contain the usage of Predator surveillance software program, citing main points for democracy and residents’ privateness rights.

Predator spyware and adware can extract passwords, recordsdata, photographs and contacts and activate a cellphone’s digital camera and microphone, enabling surveillance of conversations close by.

At the listening to, EYP chief Kontoleon, who stories on to the prime minister, famous that EYP performs its work not solely based mostly by itself info however at occasions after suggestions or requests by overseas intelligence providers, the 2 sources stated.

The EU considers the usage of spyware and adware in opposition to journalists unacceptable.

Journalist Koukakis, whose work has included investigative reporting on monetary crimes, stays baffled why he was bugged: “I am surprised that areas that I cover as a reporter, economic policy and the banking system, can be a national security threat,” he instructed Reuters.

© Thomson Reuters 2022