EU Commissioner: Unlawful surveillance in Hungary unacceptable
At a plenary of the European Parliament on the use of spy softwares, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said all member states had an obligation to protect their citizens from unlawful state surveillance, in physical reality as well as in cyberspace.
“We condemn interference in private communication as that runs afoul of democratic values and constitutes an infringement on fundmental rights,” he told the plenary in Strasbourg on Wednesday.
The European Commission expects all member states to rigorously review all reports on the use of spy software to avoid unlawful activities, he said. If the software was deployed unlawfully, victims must be given the opportunity for legal redress, he said.
Sándor Rónai, an MEP of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK), slammed the Orbán government’s treatment of spy softwares as “proof that [the government] is unable to abide by the rule of law.” As a result of their approach, Hungarian inflation is high in European comparison, EU funds are withheld from Hungary, and food prices have soared, he said. Meanwhile, the government “targets the last remnants of independent media” and surveilles them with spy software, he said.
Momentum MEP Katalin Cseh said it was unacceptable that “European states should use military software for the surveillance of journalists, that ministers should cordon themselves off and refuse to answer tough questions.” She called for joint action and clear regulation on the issue.
Featured image: illustration
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4 Comments
Hungary should use Pegasus, the efficient Israeli spyware, on all groups financed by foreign money. This should be done to protect the people. Selling out the country, even to the EU, is unforgivable. Those that are ready to betray the country should be exiled, e.g. Dobrev?
@mariavontheresa let’s just reintroduce all the mechanisms we had in the good old days – or invite the Chinese to upgrade our systems so we can all feel more secure. “Who controls the past controls the future” – George Orwell, 1984
Top tip – tour Memento Park and the adjacent museum to remind yourself about the implications of a surveillance society.
The same leftist trolls who cry for privacy are the same ones to bring cancel culture on anyone daring to go against their narrative. Sour grapes!
@wizzen – I’m sure you will agree the answer here is not a surveillance society.
Without checks and balances – we’re done as a liberal democracy.
Wiki definition of liberal democracy to avoid the potential pitfall of “liberal” being interpreted as some lefty plot:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy