End of spyware? European Parliament wants it gone

The European Parliament is working on a media freedom law, which is intended to guarantee media independence. The adopted document prohibits the use of spyware against journalists.

As indicated by Marken Antivirus Systems, the use of commercial spyware software has increased in recent years, which is increasingly being used against journalists, politicians, and other opinion leaders.

The use of spyware is often made possible due to loopholes in software. According to a report by Canadian researchers from The Citizen Lab, critical gaps in iOS and Google Chrome security were used to infect known targets with the Predator spyware.

The European Parliament has taken an interest in the topic. Members of parliament have begun work on a media freedom law. The purpose of this legal act is to oblige member states of the European Union to "ensure media pluralism and protect media independence from governmental, political, economic, or private interference".

Under this law, the use of spyware will not be completely banned. However, it will only be possible as a last resort, used in exceptional situations. This involves instances where an independent judicial body decides that the use of such software is necessary to investigate a serious crime. For example, this could concern crimes such as terrorism or human trafficking.

The European media freedom law is still in the design phase. The document has been adopted by the majority of MEPs. The next step will be negotiations on its final form.