Italy has terminated its contracts with Israeli spyware company Paragon, following allegations that the surveillance technology was used against government critics, including journalists and migrant rescue workers. The move was confirmed in a parliamentary report released by the intelligence oversight committee COPASIR, which found that Italy’s intelligence services had initially paused and then cancelled their use of Paragon’s spyware.
The Italian government maintains that any surveillance was lawful and overseen by a public prosecutor, admitting that seven Italians were targeted. However, the government denied engaging in illicit spying and tasked the National Cybersecurity Agency with reviewing the matter. “The government has admitted that seven Italians were targeted, but maintains that any surveillance was lawful and overseen by a public prosecutor,” the report stated.
Francesco Cancellato, editor of investigative outlet Fanpage, claimed he was placed under surveillance, but COPASIR 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.
The controversy has sparked condemnation from opposition parties and media freedom advocates. Italy’s journalists’ union, FNSI, urged prosecutors to determine whether state surveillance laws were broken. Meta-owned WhatsApp revealed in January that the spyware had been deployed against dozens of users globally, including some in Italy.
The report revealed that Italy’s intelligence services authorized the use of Paragon’s spyware in 2023 and 2024 to monitor individuals connected to criminal investigations, including suspected “terrorism,” people smuggling, and espionage. COPASIR defended the surveillance of Mediterranea members Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia, saying it was due to suspected links to irregular migration, not activism. The spyware’s use on them was approved by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano on September 5, 2024.
Casarini, Caccia, and four others were ordered to stand trial for allegedly aiding irregular immigration, with all denying the charges. 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.