EU Commission alarmed by new spyware case against Greek socialist leader

A new case of attempted bugging of the Greek socialist opposition leader’s mobile phone with surveillance software has raised eyebrows in Brussels, with a European Commission spokesperson saying that such practices are “unacceptable” if confirmed.

Greek socialist leader and MEP (Pasok, S&D) Nikos Androulakis filed a complaint with prosecutors on Monday (26 July) after the European Parliament cyber security services informed him about an attempted bugging of his mobile phone with spyware.

“There was an attempt to bug my mobile phone with the Predator surveillance malware,” Androulakis said.

“The revelation of those hiding behind such sick practices … is not a personal issue but my democratic duty,” he added.

The software is a monitoring tool that gives access to the victim’s mobile device, including passwords, files, photos, browsing history, and identity data. It can also take screen captures, record user input and activate the device’s camera and microphone.

Pasok is the third largest political party in Greece and is expected to be a kingmaker in forming a coalition government after the next general election in 2023.

Contacted by EURACTIV, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed the executive had received a letter regarding the case.

“As you know, the Commission doesn’t comment on individual cases. More generally, what we can say is that we are aware of the media reports regarding spyware used by some governments,” the spokesperson said.

“Any attempts by national security services to illegally access data of citizens, including journalists and political opponents, if confirmed, is unacceptable,” the spokesperson added.

The EU spokesperson also cited the latest 2022 Rule of Law report about Greece, which referred to the case of a journalist who was targeted by spyware surveillance software equivalent to Pegasus (Predator) and another journalist who was “allegedly monitored by the national intelligence service”.

The national intelligence services are under the supervision of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The EU spokesperson said member states are competent to safeguard their national security, but they must apply relevant EU law, and they must oversee and control their security services to ensure that they fully respect fundamental rights, including the protection of personal data, and the safety of journalists and freedom of expression.

“Although Member States are competent to guarantee their national security, they must apply relevant EU law, including the case-law of the CJEU, when doing so,” the EU official said.

“The Commission expects national authorities to thoroughly examine any such allegations and to restore citizens’ trust,” the spokesperson concluded.

The suspicious text message

According to press reports, a check on Androulakis’ phone took place on 28 June and found a suspicious link to the illegal Predator spyware software.

Pasok sources stated that on 21 September 2021, the socialist leader received a text message shortly before the start of  internal party proceedings.

The message invited him to click on a specific link, which according to a report by the Citizens Lab of the University of Toronto, is used as a decoy to install Predator tracking software on the target’s mobile phone.

The message read, “Let’s get a little serious, man, we’ve got a lot to gain”, followed by a link, which was a spoof of a genuine website.

Androulakis did not click on the link, and this seems to have saved him from the worst, party sources commented.

The same sources added that in more than 200 mobile phone checks of MEPs carried out by the European Parliament, this was the first case of attempted bugging of a personal telephone device.

Technical advisers do not rule out the possibility of listening to the call with other systems that leave no trace, the sources explained.

Pasok party claims that the target was not only Androulakis’ privacy but aimed to affect his political activity.

Reactions in Athens

All opposition parties have reacted strongly to the new spyware case and called on the government to provide answers.

Greek government spokesman Yannis Economou said that justice should urgently take care of the matter.

The Greek conservative New Democracy government (EPP) has repeatedly denied purchasing Predator spyware surveillance software.

However, Thanasis Koukakis, the journalist whose phone was detected with Predator, said last May that Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) warned that “we assess likely government-backed actors purchasing these exploits are operating (at least) in Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Madagascar, Côte d’Ivoire, Serbia, Spain and Indonesia”.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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