Spyware Company Founder Claims Greek Government Authorized Mass Phone Surveillance

Tal Dilian, the founder of spyware company Intellexa, announced plans to appeal his conviction in Greece for illegally accessing personal data during a large-scale wiretapping operation. The operation, referred to as ‘Greek Watergate,’ involved hacking dozens of phones belonging to government ministers, opposition figures, journalists, and military officials using Intellexa’s Predator spyware. This spyware can infiltrate iPhones and Android devices to extract messages, emails, call logs, and location information. Following the revelations, high-ranking Greek officials, including the head of the national intelligence agency and a top aide to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, resigned. Despite these resignations, no government officials have been convicted, and critics accuse the Mitsotakis administration of a cover-up. Dilian, sentenced to eight years in prison, claims he is being made a scapegoat and suggested that the Greek government authorized the hacks. He expressed willingness to provide evidence to national and international regulators. The U.S. had previously sanctioned Dilian in 2024 after Predator was used against U.S. officials and journalists. Dilian emphasized that surveillance tools like Predator are typically sold only to governments, which are responsible for lawful use.