In a watershed ruling that could reverberate across Europe and beyond, a Greek court has handed down maximum cumulative prison sentences to four individuals linked to the controversial spyware firm Intellexa S.A., marking the first criminal convictions tied to the unlawful deployment of the Predator surveillance software. The decision, announced on February 26, represents a pivotal moment in a yearslong scandal that has entangled journalists, politicians, military officials, and civil society members in Greece and other countries.

The court sentenced Tal Dilian, founder of Intellexa and a former Israeli intelligence officer; Felix Bitzios, a shareholder in the company; Sara Aleksandra Hamou, Intellexa’s business manager; and Giannis Lavranos, owner of supplier firm Krikel, to 126 years and eight months in prison each for violating communications secrecy and data protection laws. Although Greek law caps the maximum time to be served for misdemeanor convictions at eight years, the severity of the cumulative sentences underscored the gravity with which the judiciary viewed the offenses.

The verdict stems from findings that Intellexa’s Predator software was used to spy on at least 87 verified victims. Those targeted included investigative journalists, opposition politicians, senior military officials, prominent business figures, and members of civil society. Several of the victims were present in the courtroom when the sentences were delivered, lending a palpable sense of gravity to the proceedings.

Predator is a highly intrusive form of commercial spyware capable of infecting smartphones and granting operators access to calls, messages, microphones, cameras, and stored data. Its capabilities have drawn comparisons to other controversial surveillance tools such as Pegasus, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group. While such tools........

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