Ireland proposes new law allowing police to use spyware

Ireland plans to introduce the Communications (Interception and Lawful Access) Bill to modernize and expand lawful interception authorities—explicitly encompassing spyware—to access encrypted and unencrypted communications, including content and metadata, with promised judicial oversight and proportionality safeguards; while specifics are pending, the proposal includes establishing a legal basis for covert surveillance software on devices, and is framed against a broader European backdrop of long-standing spyware deployment and recent abuses in countries such as Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Poland, alongside EU efforts to set common standards.