"According to these findings, entities such as Intellexa, Cy4Gate, Verint and Cognyte - whose technologies have been linked to unlawful surveillance of journalists, human rights defenders and political actors in the EU, as well as in third countries with dreadful human rights records - have benefitted from public financing, including EU programmes. This raises serious questions about the governance, transparency, and accountability of the Union's funding mechanisms."
"MEPs cited investigative journalism from Follow The Money, which revealed in September that institutions such as Spain's public-funded Centre for the Development Of Industrial Technology (CDTI) handed over €1.3 million (c $1.5 million) to now-shuttered spyware peddler Mollitiam Industries. Likewise, Italy's state-owned bank, Mediocredito Centrale, was found to have acted as a guarantor to a €2.5 million (c $2.9 million) loan to Dataflow Security, an Italy-based commercial spyware developer."
Thirty-nine Members of the European Parliament have demanded explanations from senior commissioners after investigations showed public financing reaching commercial spyware firms. Entities named include Intellexa, Cy4Gate, Verint and Cognyte, which have been linked to unlawful surveillance of journalists, human rights defenders and political actors. Follow The Money reported Spain's CDTI granted €1.3 million to Mollitiam Industries, and Italy's Mediocredito Centrale guaranteed a €2.5 million loan to Dataflow Security. Investigations did not prove funds directly financed spyware development in every case, but funding connections raise concerns about governance, transparency, accountability and the enabling of tools that erode democracy.
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