Q COSTA RICA — The declaration of state secrecy on various security matters could also be used to spy on the government’s political rivals, according to former presidential candidate, former First Lady and legislator Claudia Dobles.
“Pegasus is spyware developed in Israel that can be installed on any mobile phone without the user’s knowledge and, from there, has access to all the activity performed on that phone: location, payments, camera, video calls, calls, and WhatsApp messages. (…) In other Latin American countries, it has been used to spy on journalists, activists, and people who oppose authoritarian governments,” Dobles said.
The opposition legislator recalled that the former president and current Finance Minister and Minister of the Presidency, Rodrigo Chaves, recently expressed interest in acquiring Israeli software to combat smuggling and tax evasion, which has raised suspicions.
The legislator fears that Pegasus, a military-grade surveillance software, is being used in Costa Rica.
“What is Operation Pegasus, and is this happening in Costa Rica on my phone or yours? We don’t know because, guess what, it’s been declared a state secret. How much more transparent can you get?” Dobles added.
President defends decision
Amid the fight against drug-trafficking gangs, President Laura Fernández declared information regarding the Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad (DIS) — Costa Rica’s intelligence service, a police agency attached to the Ministry of the Presidency — the Elite Force, and security contracts to be state secrets.
State secrecy imposes an absolute duty of silence on all participants in these entities, including high-ranking officials, members of the police force, support staff, and advisors.
The decree warns that those who violate this provision are subject to administrative proceedings, legal sanctions for breach of secrecy, and contract termination without liability for the administration.
“Public information related to national security will always be freely accessible. Any data related to security will continue to be freely accessible. However, what will not be freely accessible is information that could jeopardize national security. Such as? For example, what kind of weapons our police officers have, what the patrol schedules are, where the next drug seizures will take place, and how police operations are progressing,” President Fernández stated in defending the executive decree 45870-MSP.
The decree, which went into force on August 10, 2026, has generated strong national and international debate across various social and legal sectors, including freedom of the press, the risk of opacity, and the principle of legality.
The news website RaidosUCR (University of Costa Rica radio) says the government decree is an open menu of state secrets, which also allows the government to expand the menu of secret information without specifying its scope.
Laura Fernández denied that the decree allows for “what I choose, what I pick, what I feel like” to be a state secret.