The EYP has allegedly used Predator Spyware to monitor Greek-American Artemis Seaford, who works as a manager at Meta.
Artemis Seaford, a Greek-American citizen who works as a manager at Meta, was targeted with a cyberespionage tool while also being monitored by the Greek intelligence service in a case that shows the spread of illegal espionage in Europe.
See also: Predator inside story: SMS the key to the wiretapping investigation
In a disturbing development, documents obtained by The New York Times and officials with knowledge of the matter reveal that a Greek-American national who worked on Meta’s security team while in Greece was the victim of a year-long wiretapping operation carried out by the Greek National Intelligence Service – as well as a hack using a sophisticated cyberespionage tool.
The revelation is the first documented case of an American citizen being targeted in a European Union country by state-of-the-art spying technology, which has been at the center of a growing number of scandalous news stories in Greece. It shows that the spyware used illegally by repressive governments against opposition leaders and journalistsis now finding its way into democratic countries across Europe – even targeting a foreign national working for one of the most important organizations .
The coordinated interception of the target's phone by the government agency and its subsequent breach suggest close cooperation between national intelligence agencies, as well as whoever implanted the Predator spyware.
See also: Wiretapping: PEGA Intervention – Calls on ADAE and Data Protection Authority
As Greece prepares to enter an election campaign, it is now facing a growing scandal over illegal wiretapping and spyware that has been brewing since last year. Allegations have emerged that the government abused its powers by involving its spy agency in illegal activities. The situation is causing great unrest among citizens as it continues to escalate.
Last December, the New York Times revealed that the Athens-based company Intellexa , responsible for marketing the Predator spyware, exported its product with government approval – which could be a violation of EU law, given that the software in question can be used as a weapon.
Greece has strongly denied the use of Predator and has declared its development illegal through legislation.
“Greek authorities and security services have never acquired or used the Predator surveillance software,” government spokesman Yannis Economou said in an email. “The alleged use of this software by non-governmental parties is under ongoing judicial investigation.”
“Greece was among the first countries in Europe to pass legislation banning the sale, use and possession of malware in December 2022, which carries the most serious legal consequences and strict sanctions for individuals and legal entities involved in such an offense,” continued Mr. Economou. “The same legislation includes provisions for the restructuring of the National Intelligence Service, additional safeguards for lawful surveillance and the modernization of procedures for the confidentiality of communications.”
European Union lawmakers have launched their own investigation.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been pressured to explain how and why the Predator was sold by Greece and used in Greece, allegedly without the government's knowledge, against members of his government, opposition politicians and journalists.
Mitsotakis insisted that the Greek government had nothing to do with the cyber-surveillance tool, but that opaque actors may have used it behind the backs of the authorities.
Artemis Seaford joined Meta, the parent company of Facebook, as a trust and safety officer in 2020. She continued to work with them until the end of 2022, while spending part of that time living in Greece.
At Meta, Ms. Seaford worked on policy issues surrounding cybersecurity and built beneficial relationships with Greek officials and various other European leaders.
When her name was revealed on a spyware target list in Greek news agencies last November, she immediately took action and took her phone to the University of Toronto 's Citizen Lab – the leading forensics team for detecting digital espionage.
According to a lab report reviewed by the New York Times, Artemis Seaford's cellphone had been hacked with the Predator spyware for at least two months starting in September 2021.
See also: Jourova to Gerapetritis: “In the EU, journalists must be protected from eavesdropping”
Ms. Seaford took legal action on Friday and filed a lawsuit in Athens against any person or group responsible for the hacking, calling on prosecutors to investigate the case.
Ms Seaford filed a petition with the Greek Telecommunications Privacy Authority, an autonomous constitutional protector, asking it to verify whether Greece’s national intelligence services – known as EYP – had intercepted her phone calls.
Source of information: nytimes.com
