Italian Government Terminates Contract with Israeli Spyware Firm Paragon

Rome: The Italian government’s contract with the Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions has been officially terminated, as reported by Parliament’s Copasir commission on Monday. The decision follows the suspension of the contract on February 14 by Italian intelligence agencies Aise and Aisi due to widespread concerns after Meta alerted numerous individuals, including several in Italy, that they had been targeted by Paragon Solutions’ Graphite spyware.

According to Ansa News Agency, the Copasir commission, responsible for overseeing Italy’s intelligence operations, confirmed the termination decision during inspections at the agencies. The contract suspension was prompted by the controversy over the alleged surveillance activities involving unidentified entities using the Graphite spyware.

Copasir clarified that two individuals who received warnings from Meta, Francesco Cancellato, Editor-in-chief of Fanpage, and Don Mattia Ferrari, a priest active on a migrant-rescue ship operated by an NGO, were not surveilled by Italian secret services using the Graphite spyware. The commission noted that the devices of three others involved in the situation were legally monitored. These individuals include Luca Casarini, founder of the Mediterranea Saving Humans NGO, and David Yambio, president of Refugees in Libya, an Italian-based NGO.