Polish Security Chiefs Charged Over Unaccredited Use of Pegasus AI Surveillance System

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Polish prosecutors charged former heads of the Internal Security Agency (ABW) and Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) for allowing the use of the AI-enabled Pegasus surveillance system without required security accreditation or safeguards, risking classified information and public interest. Both officials deny wrongdoing. The incident highlights misuse of AI surveillance tools in Poland.[AI generated]

Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?

The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled surveillance tool used for operational control and intelligence gathering. The event involves the use of this AI system without required legal and security safeguards, leading to harm in the form of compromised classified information and operational security. This constitutes a violation of legal obligations and harms public interest, fitting the definition of an AI Incident due to indirect harm caused by the AI system's misuse and lack of proper oversight.[AI generated]
AI principles
AccountabilityPrivacy & data governance

Industries
Government, security, and defence

Affected stakeholders
General publicGovernment

Harm types
Human or fundamental rightsPublic interest

Severity
AI incident

AI system task:
Other


Articles about this incident or hazard

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Afera Pegasusa. Byli szefowie ABW i SKW usłyszeli zarzuty. Grozi im 3 lata więzienia

2026-02-25
Rzeczpospolita
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled surveillance tool used for operational control and intelligence gathering. The event involves the use of this AI system without required legal and security safeguards, leading to harm in the form of compromised classified information and operational security. This constitutes a violation of legal obligations and harms public interest, fitting the definition of an AI Incident due to indirect harm caused by the AI system's misuse and lack of proper oversight.
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Byli szefowie służb z zarzutami. W tle sprawa Pegasusa

2026-02-25
polsatnews.pl
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled surveillance tool, so an AI system is involved. The event concerns the use and oversight of this system, specifically legal charges for unauthorized use and failure to meet security requirements. While these issues relate to potential violations of rights and legal frameworks, the article does not report actual harm or incidents caused by the AI system's use, only the investigation and charges. Thus, it does not meet the criteria for an AI Incident or AI Hazard. Instead, it provides complementary information about ongoing legal and governance processes related to AI system misuse.
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Prokuratura Żurka przedstawiła zarzuty byłym szefom ABW i SKW. Chodzi o Pegasusa | Niezalezna.pl

2026-02-25
NIEZALEZNA.PL
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled spyware system used for operational control and surveillance. The charges against the former agency heads are for negligence in allowing its use without proper security accreditation and verification, which directly relates to misuse of an AI system. This misuse has legal and rights implications, fitting the definition of an AI Incident due to violations of obligations intended to protect fundamental rights. The event describes actual harm in terms of legal breaches and potential rights violations, not just a potential risk or complementary information.
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Farsa! Postawiono zarzuty b. szefom ABW i SKW ws. Pegasusa

2026-02-25
wpolityce.pl
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled system used for surveillance and data extraction from smartphones. The article reports on charges against officials for unauthorized and insecure use of Pegasus, which directly relates to violations of legal frameworks protecting classified information and public interest. The involvement of the AI system in these violations and the resulting harm to legal and security obligations qualifies this as an AI Incident. The event is not merely a potential risk or a complementary update but a concrete case of harm linked to AI system misuse.
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Śledztwo dot. Pegasusa. Zarzuty dla byłych szefów służb specjalnych

2026-02-25
Do Rzeczy
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled spyware tool, so its use involves an AI system. The event involves the use of this AI system and alleged negligence in its deployment, which could have led to violations of rights. However, the article does not describe a new AI Incident (no new harm event is reported) nor a new AI Hazard (no new plausible future harm is described). Instead, it details legal proceedings and investigations related to past use, which is a governance and societal response to AI-related issues. Therefore, this is best classified as Complementary Information.
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Są zarzuty dla byłych szefów ABW i SKW. Nie dopełnili obowiązków?

2026-02-25
Wprost
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled surveillance system used for operational control and intelligence gathering. The former officials are charged with permitting its use despite lacking required legal and security accreditation, which led to insufficient protection of classified information. This failure to ensure secure and lawful use of an AI system directly harmed public interest and violated legal obligations. Therefore, this event qualifies as an AI Incident because the misuse and insecure deployment of an AI system caused harm related to legal and security rights.
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Byli szefowie ABW i SKW z zarzutami ws. systemu Pegasus

2026-02-25
www.gazetaprawna.pl
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled surveillance system, so its use involves an AI system. However, the article reports on legal charges and investigations rather than a specific incident of harm caused by the AI system. There is no direct or indirect harm described as having occurred yet, nor is there a clear indication of plausible future harm from the article's content. The main focus is on the legal and governance response to the use of the AI system, making this a case of Complementary Information rather than an AI Incident or Hazard.
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Byli szefowie ABW i SKW z zarzutami. Prokuratura rozlicza ich za Pegasusa

2026-02-25
naTemat.pl
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled surveillance tool, so an AI system is involved. The event stems from the use and deployment of this AI system and alleged negligence in its management. However, the article does not describe any direct or indirect harm caused by the AI system's use, only the legal investigation and charges related to potential risks and failures. Therefore, this is not an AI Incident. Nor does it describe a plausible future harm scenario beyond the ongoing investigation, so it is not an AI Hazard. The main focus is on legal and governance responses to the AI system's deployment, making this Complementary Information.
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Śledztwo w sprawie Pegasusa. Zarzuty dla byłych szefów ABW i SKW

2026-02-25
TVP Info
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled spyware tool used for operational surveillance. The charges relate to its use without proper security accreditation and failure to protect classified information, which constitutes a violation of legal obligations and potentially harms fundamental rights and public interest. The event describes actual misuse and legal consequences, indicating realized harm related to rights violations and security breaches. Therefore, this qualifies as an AI Incident because the development and use of the AI system directly led to violations of legal and security obligations, harming public interest and potentially individuals' rights.
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Sprawa Pegasusa. Zarzuty dla byłych szefów ABW i SKW

2026-02-25
Kresy
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled spyware system used for surveillance and intelligence operations. The article details that the system was used without required security accreditation and without verifying its compliance with classified information protection standards. This misuse led to harm in terms of compromised protection of sensitive information and operational methods, which is a breach of legal obligations and harms public interest. The involvement of the AI system's use directly led to these harms, fitting the definition of an AI Incident rather than a hazard or complementary information.
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Piotr P. i Maciej M. z zarzutami ws. Pegasusa. Jest komunikat prokuratury

2026-02-25
wiadomosci.radiozet.pl
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled surveillance system used for operational intelligence activities. The event describes legal charges against officials for improper use and lack of proper security measures, which implicates violations of legal protections and potentially human rights. The AI system's use has directly led to these alleged harms, fulfilling the criteria for an AI Incident. The event is not merely a future risk or a complementary update but concerns realized harm and legal consequences tied to the AI system's deployment.
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Sprawa Pegasusa. Byli szefowie służb usłyszeli zarzuty

2026-02-25
Wydarzenia Interia
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus is an AI-enabled spyware system used for surveillance, thus qualifying as an AI system. The charges against the officials relate to negligence in overseeing the use of this system without proper security accreditation and safeguards, which led to harm to public interest and potentially to violations of rights. The event describes realized harm due to the use of an AI system without proper controls, fitting the definition of an AI Incident involving violations of rights and harm to communities/public interest. Therefore, this event is classified as an AI Incident.
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Śledztwo ws. Pegasusa. Zarzuty dla byłych szefów ABW i SKW

2026-02-25
cyberdefence24.pl
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The Pegasus system is an AI-enabled spyware tool, so an AI system is involved. The event stems from the use and deployment of this AI system without proper security accreditation and oversight, which is a misuse or failure in compliance. However, the article focuses on the legal charges and investigation rather than describing any actual harm or incident caused by the AI system. There is no direct or indirect harm reported, nor a clear plausible future harm described beyond the legal concerns. Thus, it fits the definition of Complementary Information, as it details governance and legal responses to prior concerns about the AI system's use.
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Former Polish intelligence heads charged over Israeli spyware

2026-02-25
Court House News Service
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus spyware is an AI-enabled system used for surveillance and monitoring, which qualifies as an AI system. The event describes the use of this AI system by officials without proper accreditation, leading to potential compromise of classified information and misuse of funds. These actions constitute violations of legal obligations and abuse of power, which are harms under the AI Incident definition (violations of human rights or breach of legal obligations). The charges and legal consequences indicate that harm has occurred or is recognized. Hence, this event is best classified as an AI Incident.
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Former Polish intelligence heads charged over Israeli spyware

2026-02-25
Poland Sun
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
Pegasus spyware is an AI system designed for surveillance and data extraction. Its use by former intelligence officials without proper accreditation and despite known risks led to potential compromise of classified information, which is a violation of legal and security obligations. The event describes realized harm through misuse of the AI system, resulting in legal charges and potential breaches of rights and security. Hence, it meets the criteria for an AI Incident as the AI system's use directly led to harm and legal consequences.