France investigates alleged spyware use against dissidents: Report

The Paris prosecutor’s office is investigating the suspected use of spyware to target journa­lists, human rights activists and poli­tical dissidents. The prosec­utor’s office said on Tuesday that it opened an investigation into a raft of pote­n­tial charges, inclu­ding viola­tion of privacy, illegal use of data and illegally selling spyware. 

As is common under French law, the investigation doesn’t name a suspected per­petrator but is aimed at deter­m­ining who might eventually be sent to trial. 

It was prompted by a legal complaint by two jour­nalists and French investigative website Mediapart.