Italy cuts ties with "Israeli" spyware firm Paragon

Italy has officially terminated its contracts with "Israeli" spyware company Paragon, a move confirmed by a parliamentary report on Monday.

The decision follows widespread uproar and demands for investigation spurred by revelations that the surveillance technology was allegedly deployed against government critics, including journalists and migrant rescue workers.

The intelligence oversight committee, COPASIR, disclosed in its report that Italy’s intelligence services initially suspended, then ultimately cancelled their agreements with Paragon. While both the Italian government and Paragon confirmed the termination, their accounts of the contract's cessation timeline diverge, particularly given that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government had stated in February that the deal was still active.

The controversy has ignited strong condemnation from opposition parties and advocates for media freedom. Italy's journalists' union, FNSI, has urged prosecutors to investigate whether state surveillance laws were violated through the use of Paragon's software.

Allegations surfaced that Paragon’s technology was used to target individuals in Italy, including an editor from the investigative outlet Fanpage, Francesco Cancellato, and members of Mediterranea, a migrant rescue organization that has been vocal in its criticism of Meloni's right-wing administration. In January, Meta-owned WhatsApp revealed that Paragon spyware had been used against dozens of its users globally, some of whom were in Italy.

The government acknowledged that seven Italian individuals were targeted but maintained that any surveillance was lawful and conducted under the supervision of a public prosecutor. It explicitly denied engaging in illicit spying and stated that the National Cybersecurity Agency had been tasked with reviewing the matter.

However, COPASIR's report stated it found no evidence to support Cancellato's claim of being surveilled by Italian intelligence. Paragon, in a statement to Fanpage, asserted that it halted its services to Italy once Cancellato’s case came to light, and claimed the Italian government subsequently declined a joint investigation into the matter. Meloni's office has remained silent on the specifics of the situation, while opposition lawmakers are now demanding a parliamentary explanation of the government's role.

The COPASIR report further revealed that Italian intelligence services had authorized the use of Paragon’s spyware in 2023 and 2024 for monitoring a limited number of individuals linked to criminal investigations, encompassing suspected "terrorism," human smuggling, and espionage.

The committee specifically defended the surveillance of Mediterranea members Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia, emphasizing that the monitoring was due to their suspected connections to irregular migration rather than their activism. The approval for the use of spyware on them was granted by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Prime Minister Meloni’s top intelligence adviser, on September 5, 2024. Mantovano has not yet commented on the matter.

Last month, a Sicilian court ordered Casarini, Caccia, and four other individuals to stand trial on charges of allegedly aiding irregular immigration. This case is widely regarded as a significant test of Italy's approach to migrant rescue operations, with all defendants denying the charges.