Paragon Solutions refuses to cooperate with Italian spyware probe

According to a report, Israeli American surveillance tech maker Paragon Solutions is not collaborating with Italian authorities probing spyware attacks. WhatsApp stated that the company provided the technology for a hacking campaign that targeted around 90 people around the world with its Graphite spyware. The notifications of these attacks, which warned of government spyware, were sent to victims by WhatsApp and Apple and prompted a spyware scandal in Italy. A number of victims filed criminal complaints with Italian authorities, leading prosecutors in Rome and Naples to open an investigation.

The investigation involves Italy’s two spy agencies, AISE (the Italian foreign intelligence agency) and AISI (the Italian domestic intelligence agency). Paragon previously canceled its contract with these two spy agencies after claiming the Italian government refused its offer to investigate whether a journalist was hacked and spied on. Now, Italian prosecutors have sent a formal request for information to Paragon via the Israeli government. However, Israeli human rights lawyer Eitay Mack noted that while the Israeli government could force local companies to cooperate with foreign judicial requests, “but this has never happened.” This lack of cooperation mirrors a previous case in Spain, where the High Court closed its investigation into the use of NSO Group’s spyware because Israeli authorities did not cooperate. In 2024, the Israeli government also seized documents from NSO Group to prevent compliance with a lawsuit.

Despite the ongoing investigation, Paragon maintains an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. immigration enforcement agency. ICE told lawmakers that its law-enforcement arm, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is using Paragon’s spyware. This agency has been arresting and deporting tens of thousands of immigrants across the U.S. This active contract complicates Paragon’s public branding; the company’s official website previously claimed it provides customers with tools, teams, and insights based on ethics.

The targeted individuals in Italy include journalists Francesco Cancellato and Ciro Pellegrino from the online news website Fanpage. The Citizen Lab, a research organization that investigates spyware abuses, confirmed both journalists were hacked with Graphite. While the Italian government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied hacking the journalists, a parliamentary committee investigated the scandal last June. The committee concluded the targeting of activists from the nonprofit Mediterranea Saving Humans—who rescue migrants in the Mediterranean Sea—was lawful, but did not find evidence regarding Cancellato and did not investigate Pellegrino. However, in March, prosecutors released a press release stating a forensic investigation confirmed Cancellato’s phone was indeed hacked.

Why it matters

This standoff underscores the persistent difficulty in holding private spyware firms accountable, even when they face formal legal scrutiny and public allegations of abuse.