Latest news with #FNSI
Zawya
4 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Italy and Israeli Paragon part ways after spyware affair
ROME: Italy and Israeli spyware maker Paragon said they have ended contracts following allegations that the Italian government used the company's technology to hack the phones of critics, according to a parliamentary report on Monday and the company. Both sides said they had severed ties, giving conflicting accounts that triggered widespread criticism from opposition parties in Italy, while the journalists' federation FNSI called on prosecutors to investigate to ascertain the facts. An official with Meta's WhatsApp chat service said in January that the spyware had targeted scores of users, including, in Italy, a journalist and members of the Mediterranea migrant sea rescue charity critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The government said in February that seven Italian mobile phone users had been targeted by the spyware. At that time the government denied any involvement in illicit activities and said it had asked the National Cybersecurity Agency to look into the affair. A report from the parliamentary committee on security, COPASIR, said on Monday that Italian intelligence services had initially put on hold and then ended their contract with Paragon following a media outcry. It was unclear when the contract was ended. However, COPASIR recalled that, addressing parliament on February 12, the government had said that it was still in place. The committee also added it found no evidence that Francesco Cancellato, a reported target and editor of investigative website Fanpage, had been put under surveillance using Paragon's spyware, as he had alleged to Reuters and other media outlets. In a statement quoted by Fanpage, Paragon said it stopped providing spyware to Italy when Cancellato's alleged involvement became public, and said the government declined an offer to jointly investigate whether and how he was spied upon. The company did not reply to requests for comment from Reuters. Opposition politicians called on the government to clarify the matter in parliament. Meloni's office declined to comment. The COPASIR report said Italy's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies activated contracts with Paragon in 2023 and 2024 respectively and used it on a very limited number of people, with permission from a prosecutor. The foreign intelligence agency used the spyware to search for fugitives, counter illegal immigration, alleged terrorism, organised crime, fuel smuggling and counter-espionage and internal security activities, COPASIR said. It added that members of the Mediterranea charity were spied on "not as human rights activists, but in reference to their activities potentially related to irregular immigration", with permission from the government. Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Meloni's point man on intelligence matters, authorised the use of Paragon spyware on Mediterranea activists Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia on September 5, 2024, the report said. Mantovano was not immediately available for comment. A Sicilian judge last month ordered six members of Mediterranea, including Casarini and Caccia, to stand trial on accusations of aiding illegal immigration, the first time crew members of a rescue vessel have faced such prosecution. All have denied wrongdoing. (Editing by Timothy Heritage and Frances Kerry)
Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Italy cuts ties with Israeli spyware firm Paragon amid surveillance scandal
Italy has terminated its contracts with Israeli spyware company Paragon, after revelations that the surveillance technology was used against critics of the government – including journalists and migrant rescue workers – prompted political uproar and calls for a full investigation. The move was confirmed in a parliamentary report released on Monday by the intelligence oversight committee COPASIR, which found that Italy's intelligence services had initially paused, then cancelled their use of Paragon's spyware. The timeline of the contract's end remains unclear, especially since Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government had told parliament in February that the deal was still active. Both the Italian government and Paragon confirmed the termination, but offered diverging narratives. The controversy has provoked condemnation from opposition parties and media freedom advocates. Italy's journalists' union, FNSI, urged prosecutors to determine whether state surveillance laws were broken. Paragon's software was allegedly used to target individuals in Italy, including a journalist and members of the migrant rescue organisation Mediterranea, which has frequently criticised Meloni's right-wing government. Meta-owned WhatsApp revealed in January that the spyware had been deployed against dozens of users globally — including some in Italy. The government has admitted that seven Italians were targeted, but maintains that any surveillance was lawful and overseen by a public prosecutor. It denied engaging in illicit spying and said it had tasked the National Cybersecurity Agency with reviewing the matter. One of those allegedly targeted, Francesco Cancellato, editor of investigative outlet Fanpage, had claimed to the Reuters news agency and others that he was placed under surveillance. But COPASIR said it found no evidence supporting the claim. Paragon, in a statement to Fanpage, said it halted services to Italy once Cancellato's case came to light and claimed the Italian government refused a joint probe into the matter. Meloni's office has declined to comment. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers are demanding that the government explain its role in parliament. The report also revealed that Italy's intelligence services had authorised the use of Paragon's spyware in 2023 and 2024 to monitor a small number of individuals in connection with criminal investigations, including suspected 'terrorism', people smuggling and espionage. COPASIR defended the surveillance of Mediterranea members Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia, saying it was not due to their activism but their suspected links to irregular migration. The spyware's use on them was approved by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Meloni's top intelligence adviser, on September 5, 2024. Mantovano did not respond to requests for comment. Last month, a Sicilian court ordered Casarini, Caccia and four others to stand trial for allegedly aiding irregular immigration – a case widely seen as a test of Italy's approach to migrant rescues. All deny the charges.
