Victims of illegal surveillance will be able to claim compensation in the next couple of months.
A large-scale investigation has been launched in Poland into the use of Pegasus spyware by the previous government.
A parliamentary commission may bring criminal charges against Polish officials who were previously in power. Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said victims of illegal surveillance will be identified and informed in the coming months. They will also be able to seek compensation in criminal proceedings.
"There is a high chance that in a couple of months we will receive comprehensive information about how this technology was used and for what purposes," Bodnar said, adding that it is not yet known who exactly may be charged — former ministers, intelligence officers or others.
Developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, the Pegasus program allows you to fully control your smartphone, record the actions of its owner and get access to any protected data. This software caused a wide international scandal after the leak in 2021 of the personal information of thousands of its victims around the world.
The leak revealed that Hungarian authorities were spying on members of the media and civil society using Pegasus. A separate investigation by scientists from the University of Toronto in 2021 linked the use of a spy program in Poland with the activities of the opposition movement "Civil Platform".
One of the targets of the surveillance was the party's MEP Krzysztof Breiza, who was leading the party's election campaign at the time. "The list of victims is much more extensive than what has already been published, there are many other well — known personalities," Bodnar stressed.
Bodnar also suggested that the court that approved the surveillance probably did not know what kind of spyware would be involved.
"They gave permission, but they didn't know that the program was being used without proper licenses and the data was being leaked to Israel," he explained.
Last week, the Polish security services again raided the homes of former officials of the previously ruling nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS). This is already connected with a separate investigation — the special services are checking whether money from the Justice Fund was spent on something else.
PiS lost power after 8 years of rule in October 2023, losing the election to a pro-European coalition led by Donald Tusk's Civic Platform. The new authorities intend to bring to justice all those who violated the law in the previous government.
A large-scale investigation has been launched in Poland into the use of Pegasus spyware by the previous government.
A parliamentary commission may bring criminal charges against Polish officials who were previously in power. Justice Minister Adam Bodnar said victims of illegal surveillance will be identified and informed in the coming months. They will also be able to seek compensation in criminal proceedings.
"There is a high chance that in a couple of months we will receive comprehensive information about how this technology was used and for what purposes," Bodnar said, adding that it is not yet known who exactly may be charged — former ministers, intelligence officers or others.
Developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, the Pegasus program allows you to fully control your smartphone, record the actions of its owner and get access to any protected data. This software caused a wide international scandal after the leak in 2021 of the personal information of thousands of its victims around the world.
The leak revealed that Hungarian authorities were spying on members of the media and civil society using Pegasus. A separate investigation by scientists from the University of Toronto in 2021 linked the use of a spy program in Poland with the activities of the opposition movement "Civil Platform".
One of the targets of the surveillance was the party's MEP Krzysztof Breiza, who was leading the party's election campaign at the time. "The list of victims is much more extensive than what has already been published, there are many other well — known personalities," Bodnar stressed.
Bodnar also suggested that the court that approved the surveillance probably did not know what kind of spyware would be involved.
"They gave permission, but they didn't know that the program was being used without proper licenses and the data was being leaked to Israel," he explained.
Last week, the Polish security services again raided the homes of former officials of the previously ruling nationalist Law and Justice Party (PiS). This is already connected with a separate investigation — the special services are checking whether money from the Justice Fund was spent on something else.
PiS lost power after 8 years of rule in October 2023, losing the election to a pro-European coalition led by Donald Tusk's Civic Platform. The new authorities intend to bring to justice all those who violated the law in the previous government.
