From the very first appearance, the Pegasus spyware has been identified as a tool aimed at journalists and social activists. Despite the passage of time, Pegasus still found ways to overcome newer technological security measures. However, legal regulations did not keep up with its development, often allowing for its free use by intelligence services and law enforcement agencies.

Jakub Stelmach

KBN Commentary no. 12 (84) / 2021      

5 November 2021

From the very first appearance, the Pegasus spyware has been identified as a tool aimed at journalists and social activists. Despite the passage of time, Pegasus still found ways to overcome newer technological security measures. However, legal regulations did not keep up with its development, often allowing for its free use by intelligence services and law enforcement agencies. In July 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron supposedly became a victim of uncontrolled surveillance by Moroccan intelligence services. That scandal made the international community aware that privacy can be easily threatened. The existing regulations and mechanisms have not kept pace with the development of the latest intelligence technology. In 2019, due to suspicions about the CBA's purchase of spyware, the topic of the use of Pegasus entered the Polish public discourse, reviving discussions on the shortcomings of the control and oversight mechanisms to which Polish special services are subject.

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