European parliamentarians implore EU leadership to stop funding spyware therecord.media/european-…

Members of the European Parliament are looking for answers as to why the European Union is underwriting spyware companies.

Ina letter sent on Tuesday to European Commission officials, the parliamentarians cite recent reporting from the publication Follow the Money documenting how a state-owned Italian bank and the European Union’s Defense Fund, among other state entities, are subsidizing spyware companies.

The outlet’s investigation showed that member states and the EU as a bloc have funded the Intellexa Alliance and Cy4Gate, whose products have been found targeting members of civil society.

For example, Follow the Money reported, Cy4Gate received at least €3.8 million ($4.4 million) in EU money, including from the European Defense Fund, over a four-year-period concluding in 2024.