A major development emerged this week as greek previous parliamentarian Stelios Kouloglou targeted with Pegasus software, Citizen Lab analysis finds. A past member of the European Parliament was hacked with Pegasus spyware while serving on a committee investigating surveillance by the tool ’ s Israeli creator, a Canadian research coalition has found.

Background

The backdrop to this story helps explain both the urgency and the broader implications.

The iPhone of Greek investigative journalist Stelios Kouloglou, who served as an MEP from 2015 to 2024, was infected at least three times with Pegasus spyware in 2022 and 2023, Citizen Lab declared in a findings released on Friday.

The three incidents, which occurred while Kouloglou was in Athens and Brussels, coincided with the ex-parliamentarian ’ s time on a committee tasked with investigating the illegal use of Pegasus and other spying tools in the European Union, as noted by to Toronto-based Citizen Lab.

At the same time, european lawmakers established the PEGA Committee in 2022 following revelations that governments in the bloc had used Pegasus to monitor journalists, activists, politicians, and other citizens.

International Reaction

Specialists in the field say the implications extend further than initially apparent.

Kouloglou received Apple hazard notifications concerning potential Pegasus breaches following the intrusions, but only months after each incident, according to Citizen Lab.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. kouloglou, who did not at once respond to Al Jazeera ’ s request for comment, requested that the research group conduct a forensic investigation of his phone in May.

Reports further indicate that citizen Lab said in its assessment that the incident highlighted the “ serious threat that mercenary spyware poses to the integrity of democratic processes ”.

What It Means

The ripple effects of what has occurred are expected to reach well beyond the initial story.

“ Whichever entity is responsible for the hacking, the infection could have exposed strictly confidential exchanges among PEGA Committee members and their staff, and other sensitive and confidential parliamentary proceedings, including to parties under investigation by the Committee itself, ” the report said.

Of particular significance is the fact that pegasus, developed and sold by Herzliya-based NSO Group in Israel, allows its operator to secretly take control of a target ’ s phone, allowing remote access to a device ’ s messages, photos, contacts, camera and microphone.

Adding further dimension to the story, while NSO Entity markets Pegasus as a legitimate tool for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to target criminal groups, the spyware has also been used to spy on journalists, lawyers, dissidents, and government officials.

Notably, “ The fact that a member of the European Parliament serving on the PEGA Committee, the very committee established to investigate spyware abuse, was reportedly targeted with Pegasus raises significant concerns about the integrity of democratic oversight itself, ” Hammoud told Al Jazeera.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. “ It weakens democratic oversight, parliamentary independence and the rule of law. ”

Next Steps

The situation is far from resolved, and additional details are expected to emerge as the story develops. Officials have indicated that further statements may be forthcoming, and observers will be watching closely.