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EU lawmakers establish inquiry into Israeli spyware

Monday, 09 May 2022 11:38 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 09 May 2022 11:38 PM ]

Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels

Israel has sold its Pegasus software to dozens of countries around the world which allows spies to easily hack into mobile phones and retrieve personal data. Apparently, very high-profile individuals have been targeted. Now, the PEGA Committee inside the European Parliament has been set up to investigate.

The European Commission has been slated for refusing to take action against Tel Aviv for failing to rein in Israel's NSO company which produces Pegasus.

EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn told lawmakers it's a matter for national governments.

EU countries Poland and Hungary have been heavily criticized for buying the spyware from Israel but one lawmaker says the bloc turned a blind eye when it was revealed in 2019 that Germany was spying on its allies.

Experts say the 'it's fine, I have nothing to hide' argument doesn't hold water.

The European Parliament's PEGA Committee is due to conclude its inquiry in eleven months from now. Already, there is a great deal of skepticism that the EU will take any action against Israel, regardless of the findings. After all, it has always shied away from doing so in the past.

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