Greek Intelligence implicated in "Predatorgate" AI-powered spyware scandal

Greece’s National Intelligence Service (EYP) has been accused of illegally surveilling politicians, journalists and others using AI-enabled “Predator” spyware, drawing scrutiny over state secrecy, poor accountability, and potential violations of privacy and democratic norms. What happened Beginning in 2020 and peaking in 2021–2022, a sprawling surveillance operation targeted at least 92 individuals in Greece, including investigative journalist Thanasis Koukakis, PASOK party leader Nikos Androulakis, and various cabinet ministers and businessmen. The incident involved the use of Predator, a highly invasive AI-powered spyware developed by the Intellexa alliance (specifically Cytrox). Targets largely received malicious SMS messages, often masquerading as legitimate news links or vaccination appointment reminders, which, once clicked, granted operators full access to the device’s microphone, camera, encrypted messages (WhatsApp/Signal), and files. The targets suffered extreme privacy violations and the exposure of sensitive professional information. More broadly, the scandal revealed that the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP) had simultaneously placed several of these same targets under "lawful" wiretapping, suggesting a coordinated effort to use illegal spyware to bypass the limitations of legal surveillance. Trials are ongoing against three former Intellexa executives (including founder Tal Dilian and Sara Hamou) and one executive from the Greek security contractor Krikel for alleged illegal interception and communications privacy breaches. Prosecutors’ investigations have drawn criticism, however, for failing to conclusively attribute state agency direction, dismissing some links between EYP and compromised numbers as a “minor proportion” despite confirmed cases. Why it happened The controversy stems from a lack of robust oversight and transparency around Greece’s intelligence apparatus and its engagement with commercial spyware vendors. Originally developed by a Macedonia-founded company later integrated into Intellexa, Predator employs advanced “1-click” and evolving “zero-click” infection techniques that exploit vulnerabilities to install deep surveillance on targets’ devices. Greek judicial inquiries have been accused of underusing evidence, and the country's political leadership has been sharpy criticised for shielding agencies from meaningful accountability. Critics argue that institutional limitations on external oversight, combined with opaque procurement and operational practices, allowed the technology’s deployment without clear legal or ethical safeguards. What it means The episode triggered intense political debate, public outrage, and calls for deeper judicial scrutiny. For those directly targeted, it represents a "digital kidnapping" of their private and professional lives and a direct threat to their safety and professional integrity. For society, "Predatorgate" created a "chilling effect" on investigative journalism, as reporters now fear that their sources and movements are constantly monitored. TIt is also seen to signif y a significant democratic backsliding within the EU. The closure of the domestic criminal investigation in 2024, which resulted only in misdemeanour charges against Intellexa company executives while exonerating state agencies, further eroded public trust in the judiciary and the concept of equal justice, as well as in Greece's intelligence agencies. System 🤖 Predator Developer: Cytrox; Intellexa Country: Greece Sector: Media/entertainment/sports/arts; Politics; Religion Purpose: Monitor public figures Technology: Anomaly detection; Machine learning; NLP/text analysis Issue: Accountability; Human/ci vil rights; Normalisation; Privacy/surveillance; Transparency Research, advocacy 🧮 Amnesty. Greece’s surveillance scandal must shake us out of complacency Investigations, assessments, audits 👁️ InsideStory . Intellexa Leaks: New Predator victims despite US sanctions Hellenic Data Protec

Date it happened

2022-01-01

Organisation involved

Greek National Intelligence Service

Product, system or model

Predator

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