Hungarian spyware scandal heightens fears of Orbn critics – POLITICO

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BUDAPEST There are some things you don’t discuss over the phone.

This maxim is one of the legacies of the communist regime that has endured in Hungary today. And for good reason, judging by reports that spyware has been used to target the cellphones of critics of the current Hungarian government.

While the revelations by a consortium of media and NGOs sparked international outrage and alarm that an EU member would engage in such actions, they did not surprise critics of the Prime Minister. Minister Viktor Orbn.

In recent years, they have described an increase in intrusive and underhanded tactics used against them, from secret recordings to suspicion of surveillance and attempted entrapment.

I think that today in Hungary no one is surprised by this kind of scandal, said Blint Magyar, sociologist and former liberal Minister of Education.

The investigation by news organizations and NGOs revealed that the Pegasus spyware sold by the Israeli company NSO Group had been used to infect the mobile phones of prominent Hungarian investigative journalists, among others. The leaked data shows that potential hacking targets included lawyers, businessmen and a mayor, according to the investigation.

Adrien Beauduin, a Belgian-Canadian doctoral student. A student who was arrested during an anti-government protest in Budapest in 2018 was unsuccessfully targeted using Pegasus, according to a forensic analysis conducted as part of the investigation.

Beauduin told POLITICO that he remembers being followed by the police in the streets of Budapest and that he was not at all surprised by the result of the analysis “because of what we know about the regime in Budapest. ‘Orbn “.

Some Hungarians involved in public life say they have come to accept in recent years that they are potentially under illegal surveillance.

An employee of a Hungarian organization said an official warned him that his activities were being stalked. This person described an atmosphere in Budapest where most of the people around him accept that they can be bugged.

Some things you only talk about on Signal or Whatsapp, the person said. There are things you don’t talk about on the phone just in person, with phones left at home.

The Hungarian government did not respond to a request for comment from POLITICO. But in a written response to an opposition MP, veteran Home Minister Sndor Pintr said the security services had not carried out any illegal surveillance since the current government came to power in 2010.

Justice Minister Judit Varga did not confirm that Hungary bought the Pegasus software, but told the Npszava newspaper that countries need advanced technology. “We live in a world where many threats lurk for modern states. Let’s not be ridiculous, every country needs such tools!” she said.

Jnos Halsz, deputy of the ruling Fidesz party and member of the National Security Committee of the Hungarian parliament, said in a statement that the information disseminated in the left-wing media was unfounded.

While the story made headlines in many countries, the Hungarian state media largely ignored it at first, before starting to publish some reactions from government officials.

In a statement, the NSO group attacked Forbidden Stories, the nonprofit organization that coordinated the investigation into Pegasus. He said the organization’s report “is full of flawed assumptions and unsubstantiated theories that raise serious doubts about the reliability and interests of the sources.”

Targeted criticism

Concerns about targeting critical voices in Hungary came to the fore ahead of the country’s 2018 parliamentary elections, when NGOs and individuals linked to Hungarian-American businessman George Soros, a fierce critic of Orbn , were contacted by agents using false identities who secretly registered them.

The tapes were then leaked to the media and used by Orbn in the days leading up to the election.

Ahead of the 2019 municipal elections, a recording of current Budapest mayor Gergely Karcsony speaking at an internal meeting at the Hungarian parliament headquarters leaked, leading the politician to publicly complain that secret service methods were being used. against him.

Some critics say the latest revelations show the country has gone one step further outside the bounds of democratic standards.

The illegal surveillance of journalists and critics is another step in Hungary’s rapidly deteriorating democratic collapse, said Hungarian MP Katalin Cseh, who is vice-chair of the liberal group Renew Europe.

He invokes the darkest totalitarian regimes, she said. We will do everything in our power, both at Hungarian and European level, to uncover the truth about these serious allegations and to ensure that there are consequences.

However, despite the international outcry, there was no sign that the European Commission was preparing to take any action, beyond expressing a few cautious words of concern.

This needs to be verified, but if it is, it is totally unacceptable, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.

At the Commission’s daily press conference, a spokesperson entrusted the Hungarian authorities with the responsibility of investigating what happened.

Member state authorities are required to supervise and control their services, the spokesperson said, adding that the enforcement of privacy rights is the responsibility of independent data protection authorities. We will for sure continue to monitor this issue, he said, adding that the Commission will look into the issues and see if further follow-up is possible.

But Hungarian experts say the country does not have enough checks on surveillance powers.

The problem is the lack of precisely worded regulations, said Stefnia Kapronczay, executive director of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.

The surveillance authorization is not carried out by an independent authority but by a political body, Justice Minister Kapronczay said, adding: There is no legal recourse.

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