Poland’s prosecutor general, Adam Bodnar, addressed the parliament to report on the use of the powerful Pegasus spyware against hundreds of people during the previous government in Poland, including elected officials. He expressed shock and sadness at the scale of surveillance uncovered, revealing that Pegasus was used against 578 people from 2017 to 2022 by three government agencies. The revelation of this abuse of power came after investigations were launched under the new Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who aims to restore democratic norms eroded by the Law and Justice party, which held power from 2015 to 2023.
The Pegasus spyware, produced by the NSO Group in Israel, grants complete access to mobile devices, allowing operators to extract sensitive information such as passwords, photos, messages, contacts, and browsing history, as well as activate the microphone and camera for real-time eavesdropping. While the technology is marketed as a tool to combat criminals and terrorists, evidence has shown that governments have used it to target political opponents, journalists, and human rights workers. Concerns over potential misuse led the Biden administration to blacklist the NSO Group in 2021 and impose visa restrictions on individuals involved in the misuse of commercial spyware.
Prime Minister Tusk and Prosecutor General Bodnar are leading efforts to address the abuse of power and erosion of democratic norms in Poland, following the Law and Justice party’s government. Investigations into the use of Pegasus are part of a larger initiative to restore judicial independence and democratic safeguards that were compromised by the previous administration. Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition has criticized the former government for poisoning the essence of Polish democracy through the use of spyware, while authorities have defended the use of Pegasus as necessary in cases of suspected terrorism and counterintelligence.
Despite claims by Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński that the use of Pegasus was lawful and mostly targeted criminals, Minister of Security Services Tomasz Siemoniak acknowledged that there were cases where the software was used without justification, resulting in Poland losing its license to operate Pegasus. The lack of control over the data gathered through the spyware has raised concerns about the protection of constitutional rights and privacy. Bodnar emphasized that the Polish state’s reliance on a system operated by an Israeli company undermines accountability and transparency.
The revelations regarding the widespread use of Pegasus in Poland have led to calls for accountability and reform within the country’s security and justice systems. The misuse of powerful surveillance technology to target individuals for political purposes has drawn condemnation from both domestic lawmakers and international observers. The efforts to address the abuse of Pegasus are part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and upholding human rights in Poland. By shedding light on the extent of surveillance abuses, authorities are taking steps to ensure accountability and protect citizens’ rights in the digital age.
