Italy terminates contract with Israeli Paragon amid espionage claims
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Italy has ended its contract with Israeli spyware firm Paragon after reports it was used to monitor critics, including activists and journalists.
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Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni holds a year-end press conference in Rome, Jan. 9, 2025 (AP)
Italy has officially terminated its contract with the Israeli spyware firm Paragon, following reports that its surveillance technology was used to target critics of the government, including humanitarian workers and a journalist, according to a newly published parliamentary document.
The termination follows revelations earlier this year by Meta’s WhatsApp, which indicated that Paragon spyware had been used against several users in Italy. Those allegedly targeted included a journalist and members of Mediterranea, a migrant sea rescue charity critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In February, the Italian government acknowledged that seven individuals had been targeted. However, it denied any involvement in illicit surveillance activities and instructed the National Cybersecurity Agency to investigate the claims.
COPASIR report details limited use
A recent report from the parliamentary committee overseeing intelligence operations, COPASIR, confirmed that Italy's intelligence services had initially suspended and later canceled their agreements with Paragon. According to the report, the domestic and foreign intelligence agencies had entered into contracts with Paragon in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The spyware was reportedly used on a limited number of targets and only under judicial authorization. The foreign intelligence agency deployed the software to pursue individuals involved in criminal and national security-related activities, including fuel smuggling, counter-espionage, and alleged terrorism.
The COPASIR report stated that surveillance of Mediterranea members was not conducted due to their human rights activism but rather in relation to their alleged ties to irregular immigration. This operation, it added, was conducted with government authorization.
Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, the government’s intelligence coordinator, approved the surveillance of Mediterranea activists Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia on 5 September 2024.
The report also addressed claims made by journalist Francesco Cancellato, editor of the investigative news site Fanpage, who had alleged he was targeted using Paragon spyware. COPASIR stated that no evidence was found to support this claim.
Fallout in Israeli intelligence
A report by the Israeli television program Zman Emet (Real Time) revealed that Italian officials were so outraged by Paragon’s move to block their access to the spyware that Italy’s prime minister reportedly contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for clarification.
Moreover, the program revealed that the discovery of the WhatsApp vulnerability reportedly triggered "panic" within "Israel’s" elite military intelligence Unit 8200.
The Paragon-Italy controversy unfolds amid escalating global concerns that sophisticated surveillance technologies, originally intended for counterterrorism and serious criminal investigations, are increasingly being misused for political ends, including the targeting of citizens and dissidents.
While debates have long simmered over restricting exports of such tools to authoritarian regimes, the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House has renewed fears that US agencies like the FBI or CIA could employ them against political opponents or investigators.
At the same time, Western governments continue to pressure tech companies for access to encrypted communications. Just months ago, the British government called on Apple to build a “backdoor” into its iCloud service, a request the company is currently resisting.
