Follow the Money: The Podcast European money is fueling the global spyware industry
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Oct 8, 2025 Vas Panagiotopoulos, an investigative journalist based in Australia, dives deep into the shadowy world of spyware funding. He reveals shocking insights into how European taxpayers unknowingly finance surveillance companies linked to human rights abuses. The discussion covers the devastating impacts of spyware on journalists and activists, the opaque funding mechanisms, and the alarming lack of oversight. Vas also highlights notorious firms profiting from these subsidies and why governments resist stricter regulations on surveillance practices.
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Public Funds Feed Spyware Firms
- EU and national public funds have flowed to companies that also produce or sell intrusive surveillance tools.
- This channels taxpayer money into a pipeline that can finance technologies linked to rights abuses.
Zero-Days Create Systemic Risk
- Spyware depends on undisclosed security vulnerabilities that are purposely left unpatched so devices can be exploited.
- Keeping those flaws secret creates systemic insecurity because others can also exploit them.
Real Cases Show Deadly Consequences
- Vas recounts cases where spyware contributed to grave harms like surveillance around Jamal Khashoggi and torture of Ahmed Mansour.
- These examples show how surveillance tools can enable lethal repression and imprisonment.