A stranger reading your messages, tracking your movements, scrolling through your photos. That's what spyware can do – without you even knowing. It’s marketed as a tool to fight terrorism and crime, but it’s also used to silence journalists, activists, and political opponents. Greek journalist Vas Panagiotopoulos reveals how the EU and national governments give public funds to companies behind this powerful surveillance technology linked to human rights abuses and political repression. The same firms accused of helping authoritarian regimes are cashing in on European taxpayer money. Related stories ➪ https://www.ftm.eu/articles/spyware-industry-eu-subsidies-surveillance-concers Follow the podcast https://www.ftm.eu/podcast/follow-the-money-the-podcast Follow FTM on social media: Instagram ➪ https://www.instagram.com/followthemoney_eu/ BlueSky ➪ https://bsky.app/profile/ftm.eu LinkedIn ➪ https://www.linkedin.com/company/follow-the-money-eu/ Become a member and support independent investigative journalism! https://www.ftm.eu/become-member