Was Italy using spyware on journalists or activists? If you’ve been searching for answers about the Italian government’s alleged use of spyware—particularly Paragon’s Graphite—to target individuals, you're not alone. Recent findings from Italy’s parliamentary oversight body, COPASIR, confirm that immigration activists were surveilled using this Israeli-made spyware. However, the same report clears journalist Francesco Cancellato of being an official surveillance target—despite him receiving a spyware alert from WhatsApp. This revelation intensifies the debate over government surveillance, data privacy, and human rights in Europe.
COPASIR's findings stem from a detailed investigation into Paragon’s spyware activities within Italy, launched after several Italian citizens—most notably human rights activists and journalists—received warnings from WhatsApp that they may have been targeted. Among the alerted were Luca Casarini and Giuseppe Caccia of the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans. The report clarifies that Italian intelligence agencies lawfully surveilled both activists under suspicions related to facilitating illegal immigration. Still, no evidence emerged implicating journalist Francesco Cancellato, raising fresh questions about who exactly targeted him—and why.
Francesco Cancellato, the editor of Fanpage.it, gained public attention after exposing racist and fascist behavior among the youth-wing of Italy’s far-right ruling party. His investigative work made him a potential surveillance candidate, yet COPASIR found no trace of his phone being officially monitored. Italian intelligence agency logs showed no request or authorization for surveilling Cancellato, and no evidence was found in national or local prosecutor records. This has led experts to suggest that if Cancellato was spied on, it may have been the work of a foreign intelligence agency—not Italy’s.
While COPASIR did not definitively identify who targeted Cancellato, the oversight committee’s report left the door open to speculation. The use of government spyware—particularly in cross-border investigations—has surged globally, and Paragon’s Graphite spyware is now under international scrutiny. Cybersecurity watchdog Citizen Lab is still investigating Cancellato’s case, analyzing his phone and data for any hidden surveillance traces.
Italy’s intelligence services, AISE and AISI, admitted to using Graphite for operations tied to counterterrorism, organized crime, smuggling, and illegal immigration. According to the report, AISE began using the spyware in January 2024 after signing a contract the previous month. AISI, which handles domestic intelligence, had an agreement in place set to expire in November 2025 but has since terminated its partnership with Paragon. COPASIR confirmed these operations were logged, legally approved, and only involved a “limited” number of targets.
COPASIR also reviewed how Graphite functions. Each use of the spyware requires login credentials and leaves behind immutable logs stored on servers controlled by the client—in this case, the Italian intelligence agencies. These logs are reportedly inaccessible to Paragon itself and cannot be deleted, which theoretically helps maintain transparency. Still, this doesn’t rule out the possibility that another country—or an unauthorized domestic agency—could be behind Cancellato’s targeting.
Adding more complexity to the situation, Ciro Pellegrino, another Italian journalist, received a similar spyware alert from Apple. His case wasn’t mentioned in COPASIR’s findings, leaving another surveillance mystery unresolved. Apple, like WhatsApp, has started issuing alerts when users appear to be targeted by government-grade spyware—a move applauded by cybersecurity professionals but unsettling for civil society.
The committee further explored other cases, including Mattia Ferrari, a ship chaplain for Mediterranea, and David Yambio, co-founder of Refugees in Libya. COPASIR found no evidence Ferrari was targeted but verified Yambio had been surveilled—albeit not with Paragon’s tool.
Perhaps most crucially, COPASIR’s findings have sparked international concern about spyware exports and how governments deploy these tools. According to the report, Paragon included explicit contract clauses with Italy prohibiting the use of Graphite against journalists and human rights activists. If these protections were sidestepped, it could represent a breach of contract and international law.
Global watchdogs, including Citizen Lab and international privacy advocates, now demand more oversight, better transparency, and stricter regulations on how surveillance software is sold and used. With mounting public concern over privacy invasion, the pressure is on for governments—especially those in the EU—to clearly define legal limits on digital surveillance.
In 2024, Paragon’s growing influence became even more evident when U.S.-based private equity firm AE Industrial acquired the spyware vendor in a deal reportedly valued at up to $900 million. That acquisition placed Paragon under an even bigger microscope, especially as the global cybersecurity landscape evolves, and privacy threats escalate.
With cybersecurity becoming a billion-dollar industry, keywords like government surveillance, spyware detection tools, cybersecurity compliance, and data privacy regulation are gaining traction among readers and advertisers alike. As public trust in digital communication falters, demand surges for secure messaging apps, privacy audits, and end-to-end encryption technologies.
The unanswered questions in Cancellato’s case—who spied on him, and why—remain central to the ongoing discussion about spyware abuse. Until those responsible are identified, both Italian citizens and the global community will continue to question just how secure their digital lives really are. And with spyware becoming increasingly commercialized, watchdogs argue that democratic societies must act swiftly to ensure these powerful surveillance tools aren’t used to silence dissent or suppress press freedom.
Post a Comment