European Parliament calls for investigation after spyware found on MEP's phone

All members of the European Parliament's Security and Defence Subcommittee are being asked by the institution's IT department to have their smartphones checked for the presence of spyware. The investigation comes after spyware was found on Wednesday, the institution said.

Traces of spyware were found on two devices on Wednesday, one of which belongs to an MEP. The call for mobile phones to be checked applies to both MEPs and staff working on the Security and Defence Subcommittee.

German MEP Hannah Neumann is not surprised by the discovery of the spyware. "Even if the final confirmation is still to come, the use of spyware is becoming an increasing security risk in Europe," she says. While she regularly checks her own phone, Neumann says not all her colleagues are as vigilant.

This is not the first time the European Parliament has been confronted with spyware. Last May, the institution adopted a resolution calling for the creation of an independent body to help protect MEPs from malicious software. The resolution also said MEPs had "strong indications" that the governments of Morocco and Rwanda had spied on high-profile EU citizens, including heads of state.

^{PHOTO: © Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP}