Italy Denies Using Paragon Spyware on Journalists and Activists

The Italian government has denied using the “Paragon” spyware to monitor journalists and civil rights activists, addressing the allegations in a parliament meeting on February 12. However, the Israeli spyware company has allegedly cut all ties with the Italian government following allegations that the spyware was used on government critics.

Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, first raised concerns earlier this year. A company official revealed that Paragon spyware had been deployed against approximately 90 WhatsApp users across more than two dozen countries.

The targets included journalists, activists, and other members of civil society. According to the Meta official, the targets were subject to a “zero-click” hack, meaning it required no interaction from the users.

On February 5, the Italian government confirmed that the cellphones of at least seven citizens had been involved in the attack, and called on the National Cybersecurity Agency to investigate. Some of the confirmed targets include Luca Casarini, a migrant’s rights activist, Francesco Cancellato, a journalist, and Husam El Gomati, a critic of Italy’s presence in Libya. All three targets have been publicly critical of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Cabinet Minister Luca Ciriani confirmed that the Italian government had a years-long contract with Paragon Solutions but denied any unlawful conduct on behalf of the Italian government. He also threatened legal action against those who would claim otherwise.

Despite mounting concerns, Parliament President Lorenzo Fontana signed a document on February 18 allowing officials to refuse further questions about the issue. According to The Guardian, the document states that “all unclassified information has already been shared,” with further details falling under state secrecy rules.

In response, the Italian National Press Federation (Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana, FNSI) and the Order of Journalists have submitted a criminal complaint to the Rome public prosecutor’s office.

“This is an unbelievable act. We understand the gravity of it. We couldn’t wait any longer. If the government doesn’t clarify things at this stage, we have no option but to turn to the judiciary,” said the President of the National Council of the Order of Journalists, Carlo Bartoli.