Italian Government: 'Paragon Spyware Targeted Citizens Across Europe'

The Italian government has announced that spyware developed by Paragon Solutions was used in a surveillance campaign uncovered by WhatsApp, targeting citizens across Europe. The announcement was made in a press release on Wednesday.

The government denied allegations that the spyware targeted Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato and activist Luca Casarini. Cancellato serves as the editor-in-chief of the news site Fanpage.it, while Casarini works for the civil society organization Mediterranea Saving Humans, which assists migrants.

Several European countries were targeted

The Italian National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) stated that it had contacted WhatsApp and its legal firm, Advant, determining that at least seven individuals in Italy had been targeted by the spyware. However, WhatsApp declined to disclose their identities due to privacy concerns.

According to WhatsApp, similar targeting occurred in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.

While WhatsApp did not directly respond to the Italian government's claims, it previously stated that 90 individuals had been affected by the spyware, spanning more than two dozen countries worldwide.

Paragon Solutions denies the accusations

In a statement on Tuesday, Paragon Solutions claimed that it sells its spyware technology exclusively to the U.S. government and other "allied" nations. The company emphasized that its strict terms of use prohibit targeting journalists and civil society representatives and that it would terminate relationships with clients who violate these policies.

However, the company did not directly confirm whether the countries mentioned by the Italian government were indeed its customers.

The Italian National Cybersecurity Agency and the Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the matter.