Paragon Solutions, an Israeli cybersecurity firm, has ended its contractual relationship with Italy following allegations that its spyware, Graphite, was misused to target journalists and activists.
Graphite, Paragon’s military-grade surveillance tool, is capable of infiltrating mobile devices without user awareness, granting operators full access to encrypted communications on platforms like WhatsApp and Signal.
Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp, recently accused Paragon of attempting to extract data from approximately 90 users across more than two dozen countries, including journalists and activists. Meta responded by sending a cease-and-desist letter to Paragon and notifying affected individuals.
In Italy, notable figures such as investigative journalist Francesco Cancellato and migrant rescue activist Luca Casarini were among those informed by WhatsApp of potential spyware targeting.
Cancellato’s outlet, Fanpage, is recognized for its investigative reporting, including exposés on far-right political elements. Casarini, co-founder of Mediterranea Saving Humans, has been a prominent critic of Italy’s migration policies and its collaboration with Libyan authorities.
The Italian government has denied any involvement in the alleged surveillance activities.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office stated that domestic intelligence services were not responsible for the breaches and has tasked the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) with investigating the matter.
The ACN reported that seven Italian users were confirmed targets of the spyware, with additional cases identified in other European Union countries.
