The head of Greek intelligence informed a parliamentary committee that his agency had spied on a journalist, two sources on the scene said, in a revelation that coincides with pressuring the government to give information about the use of surveillance malware.
The committee’s hearing recently was called when the leader of the socialist opposition PASOK party filed a complaint to the prosecutor when his phone was bugged with spyware software.
Reuter reports “Predator spyware can extract passwords, files, photos, and contacts and activate a phone’s camera and microphone, enabling surveillance of conversations nearby. Last year when the allegation was reported by Greek media, left-wing SYRIZA, Greece’s largest opposition party, asked for the parliamentary committee to convene to look into the matter.”
On the 29th July hearing, the chief of the EYP intelligence service told the parliamentary and transparency committee that his service had kept tabs on Thanasis Koukakis, a financial journalist working for CNN Greece. Lawmakers say that he admits to the surveillance.
Giannis Oikonomou denies authorities using spyware that was deployed in the hacking of Koukakis and denied doing any business with companies selling it. The government has nothing to hide and has requested the justice system to enquire about the cases properly.
He says without crossing to the extreme of technophobia, such malware does pose a threat and must be
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