European parliamentarians have raised concerns about surveillance at the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics, after a Guardian investigation uncovered the extent of phone and internet snooping planned for the Games.

Sophie in 't Veld, a Dutch member of the European parliament, and two other MEPs have tabled written questions raising concerns over the surveillance and security measures.

The questions reference a research project carried out by the Russian investigative journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, the results of which were first published in the Guardian last month.

The investigation found that Russia's FSB security service has been busy upgrading internet and phone networks using Sorm, Russia's lawful interception system. Sorm has been described as "Prism on steroids", a reference to the programme used by the NSA in the US and revealed to the Guardian by Edward Snowden.

"Given that everybody seems to be spying on everyone else these days, it seems legitimate to ask questions not only about the EU and the United States but about Russia as well," said In 't Veld. "Russia is a particular problem because of the Olympics, which it is using as a pretext for stepping up surveillance, with no court oversight."

All Russian internet providers are required by law to feed information back to the FSB by default, using special Sorm boxes that they must install on their networks. The Guardian investigation found that Russian authorities have fined Sochi providers who have not installed the correct equipment in recent months.

Combined with other technologies, there is a fear the surveillance could be misused to root out potential political or gay rights protesters. "It is easy to imagine how this surveillance could be turned into a political tool," said In 't Veld.

The Sochi Olympics are a personal project of President Vladimir Putin, and are the most expensive Games on record at more than £30bn. But as Russia has sent the Olympic torch to the north pole and to outer space in grandiose preparations for the Games, international attention has been focused on issues such as gay rights, with the country's new laws against "homosexual propaganda" in force at the Olympics.

In 't Veld has asked for clarification from Europol, the European police agency, over a data-sharing agreement that is planned with the Russians but has not yet come into force.

British intelligence services have renewed intelligence co-operation with Russia, which had been suspended since the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006. The exchange of information over security threats to the Games was agreed during a visit by David Cameron to Sochi in May, and confirmed by John Sawers, the head of MI6, during a parliamentary hearing this month.

The European Council and commission are obliged to reply to the MEPs' questions in the coming weeks, and In 't Veld hopes it will open a debate about what Europe can do in the runup to the Sochi Games.

"I hope this will act as a wake-up call, and that the commission will take some action to ensure that there are at least some safeguards put in place," she said. "We need to start talking about it, at least."