Italy Confirms Spyware Use on Activists, Not Journalist
Italy admits targeting immigration activists with Paragon spyware but denies spying on journalist Francesco Cancellato. Here’s what we know.
Matilda
Italy Confirms Spyware Use on Activists, Not Journalist 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. Image : Google 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 …
