The Polish government is coming under pressure to clarify whether it has purchased sophisticated and potentially illegal phone surveillance technology that has been used to stifle dissent in other countries.
Opposition lawmakers are asking Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki whether the special services bought Pegasus, the spyware produced by NSO Group, an Israeli company.
Morawiecki appears to sidestep the question. According to news agency PAP, he says “everything that needs to be, will be clarified in due time.”
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrives at the informal EU summit in Salzburg, Austria, September 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
The parliamentary discussion on Wednesday follows an investigative report by private broadcaster TVN which indicated that the country’s Anti-Corruption Bureau might have bought the system.
Lawmakers expressed concerns that the technology could be used against independent journalists or opposition politicians.
Under Polish law, using such spyware without a court order would be illegal.
— AP
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