Italy severs links with Paragon spyware aft allegations of targeting critics and migrant rescuers spark outrage.
Published On 9 Jun 2025
Italy has terminated its contracts with Israeli spyware institution Paragon, aft revelations that the surveillance exertion was utilized against critics of the authorities – including journalists and migrant rescue workers – prompted governmental uproar and calls for a afloat investigation.
The determination was confirmed successful a parliamentary study released connected Monday by the quality oversight committee COPASIR, which recovered that Italy’s quality services had initially paused, past cancelled their usage of Paragon’s spyware.
The timeline of the contract’s extremity remains unclear, particularly since Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s authorities had told parliament successful February that the woody was inactive active.
Both the Italian authorities and Paragon confirmed the termination, but offered diverging narratives.
The contention has provoked condemnation from absorption parties and media state advocates. Italy’s journalists’ union, FNSI, urged prosecutors to find whether authorities surveillance laws were broken.
Paragon’s bundle was allegedly utilized to people individuals successful Italy, including a writer and members of the migrant rescue organisation Mediterranea, which has often criticised Meloni’s right-wing government.
Meta-owned WhatsApp revealed successful January that the spyware had been deployed against dozens of users globally — including immoderate successful Italy.
Italian authorities denies illegality
The authorities has admitted that 7 Italians were targeted, but maintains that immoderate surveillance was lawful and overseen by a nationalist prosecutor. It denied engaging successful illicit spying and said it had tasked the National Cybersecurity Agency with reviewing the matter.
One of those allegedly targeted, Francesco Cancellato, exertion of investigative outlet Fanpage, had claimed to the Reuters quality bureau and others that helium was placed nether surveillance.
But COPASIR said it recovered nary grounds supporting the claim. Paragon, successful a connection to Fanpage, said it halted services to Italy erstwhile Cancellato’s lawsuit came to airy and claimed the Italian authorities refused a associated probe into the matter.
Meloni’s bureau has declined to comment. Meanwhile, absorption lawmakers are demanding that the authorities explicate its relation successful parliament.
The study besides revealed that Italy’s quality services had authorised the usage of Paragon’s spyware successful 2023 and 2024 to show a tiny fig of individuals successful transportation with transgression investigations, including suspected “terrorism”, radical smuggling and espionage.
COPASIR defended the surveillance of Mediterranea members Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia, saying it was not owed to their activism but their suspected links to irregular migration. The spyware’s usage connected them was approved by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Meloni’s apical quality adviser, connected September 5, 2024.
Mantovano did not respond to requests for comment.
Last month, a Sicilian tribunal ordered Casarini, Caccia and 4 others to basal proceedings for allegedly aiding irregular migration – a lawsuit wide seen arsenic a trial of Italy’s attack to migrant rescues. All contradict the charges.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies