Greece to ban spyware as wiretap scandal grows

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Lawmakers in Greece are set to approve plans to outlaw commercial spyware following weeks of allegations that senior government officials may have been targeted. The use, sale or distribution of spyware in Greece will carry a penalty of a two-year minimum prison sentence, under the legislative proposal. Additional safeguards were also planned for legal wiretaps, as well as for hiring the director and deputy directors of the National Intelligence Service. The surveillance revelations have hurt public support for the country’s center-right government which faces elections in 2023.