Liberals in EU parliament seek inquiry on abuse of spyware

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The third-largest group in the European Parliament has called for the establishment of a committee to investigate abuses by European Union governments with powerful spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group. Renew Europe, a liberal political grouping, said Wednesday that the use of the software to break into the phones of government critics is “undermining democracy.” It made its appeal following reports that the NSO Group’s Pegasus software has been used hack the smartphones of opposition politicians, lawyers, journalists and critics of the right-wing governments in Hungary and Poland. The group said it hopes other groups will support its call, noting that an inquiry would constitute the first action on the matter from an EU institution.