European Union: Adopted EU Parliament to the Council and the Commission regarding the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware

On 15 June 2023, the European Parliament adopted Recommendation to the Council and the Commission following the inquiry into the use of Pegasus and Equivalent Surveillance Spyware and drafted a report including the main findings. The final report found that spyware had been used in certain EU member states to discredit, intimidate and surveil reporters and civil society. The report detailed emerging trends on the usage of technology for repression and the reduction of media freedom. An example is the rapid spread of AI-based decision-making or biometric surveillance. Finally, the report made specific recommendations to address the use of commercial spyware in the EU, such as regulating trade in spyware more effectively. The Parliament adopted recommendations to reduce the illegal use of spyware, including restrictions on the use of spyware by law enforcement, shielding certain types of data from surveillance, and mandatory notification of both targeted and non-targeted people that data was accessed as part of surveillance.