Paragon Solutions, a startup specializing in the sale of surveillance technology, including mobile spyware, has ended its partnership with the Italian government, as reported by The Guardian and Haaretz.
According to an anonymous source, The Guardian reported on Thursday that Paragon ceased its contract with Italy following WhatsApp’s announcement of a thwarted hacking operation utilizing the Israeli firm’s spyware, which targeted approximately 90 individuals. Paragon terminated the agreement on Wednesday, asserting that the Italian government had violated the “terms of service and ethical framework” outlined in their contract, as reported by the British publication.
Haaretz later corroborated The Guardian’s findings, indicating that Paragon had severed its ties with two Italian governmental bodies—a law enforcement agency and an intelligence service—and retracted their access to its spyware product known as Graphite, according to anonymous sources cited by the publication.
TechCrunch reached out to the Italian Prime Minister’s office for comment but received no response.
Arturo di Corinto, a representative for Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), confirmed to TechCrunch that the agency is in discussions with Meta’s legal team and is “analyzing the case, which is particularly sensitive given the involvement of a foreign entity and the alleged surveillance of journalists and a human rights activist.”
Di Corinto added that ACN does not have additional information at this time.
When approached for comment, Paragon’s CEO and co-founder Idan Nurick refrained from discussing the Italian situation or WhatsApp’s accusations, stating, “I don’t talk about our customers and activity.”
TechCrunch also attempted to contact John Fleming, the executive chairman of Paragon’s U.S. subsidiary, but received no reply before publication.
Citizens targeted in multiple European nations
In a statement released on Wednesday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office denied any involvement in the spyware activities Following WhatsApp’s revelation regarding the spyware campaign, three individuals have come forward claiming they were targeted, all of whom are known critics of the Italian government. The first reported victim is Francesco Cancellato, the editor of the news outlet Fanpage.it, which previously published an investigative documentary exposing the youth faction of Meloni’s far-right party, depicting members engaging in racist behaviors and making Nazi and fascist salutes. On the same day, Husam El Gomati, a Libyan activist residing in Sweden and critical of the Italian-Libyan government’s actions to curb immigration across the Mediterranean, reported receiving a notification from WhatsApp indicating he was a target. Additionally, on Wednesday, Luca Casarini, co-founder of Mediterranea Saving Humans, an NGO focused on aiding immigrants, claimed he was also targeted. Have more information about Paragon Solutions or this spyware incident? Use a non-work device to reach out to Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You can also contact TechCrunch through SecureDrop. There may be more victims yet to be identified, and not limited to Italy. The Italian government mentioned it has reached out to WhatsApp for clarification regarding these allegations, to which Meta confirmed that several targets included phone users from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. None of the governments from these countries responded to TechCrunch’s inquiries through their U.S. embassies or other official channels. On Tuesday, Fleming informed TechCrunch that Paragon considers the U.S. government and its unspecified “allies” as clients. According to a report from Euractiv published on Thursday, the company has a subsidiary located in Hamburg, Germany. Fleming also stated that Paragon “requires all users to agree to terms and conditions that expressly forbid the unlawful targeting of journalists and other civil society individuals.” “We maintain a zero-tolerance policy against such targeting and will sever ties with any client that breaches our terms of service,” Fleming asserted. It seems that Paragon is adhering to its policy in the case of its Italian clients. Compiled by Techarena.au.Contact Us
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