Christina Applegate titties over Italy and Israeli spyware firm Paragon Cut Ties amid Surveillance Scandal

Christina Applegate shaking her head in disbelief that a known evil primitive barbaric outfit like Paragon is still allowed to roam free in the so called ‘developed’ world…

Italy and Israeli spyware firm Paragon cut ties amid surveillance scandal

Italy severs links with Paragon spyware after allegations of targeting critics and migrant rescuers spark outrage.

Italy has terminated its contracts with Israeli spyware company Paragon, after revelations that the surveillance technology was used against critics of the government – including journalists and migrant rescue workers – prompted political uproar and calls for a full investigation.

New details reveal government-sanctioned targeting of migrant rescue workers, as Paragon’s “ethical spyware” claims unravel.

Italy’s government and the Israeli spyware firm Paragon have officially severed ties, ending a secretive contract that had become a lightning rod for controversy following allegations of surveillance targeting journalists and humanitarian workers. A new parliamentary report has shed light on the scope and nature of the Italian state’s use of Paragon’s Graphite spyware, revealing a reality far removed from the company’s repeated claims of “ethical” operations.

The move was confirmed in a parliamentary report released on Monday by the intelligence oversight committee COPASIR, which found that Italy’s intelligence services had initially paused, then cancelled their use of Paragon’s spyware.

The rupture follows months of political pressure, media scrutiny, and a rare intervention by Meta, which in January accused Paragon of deploying spyware against users of its WhatsApp messaging platform. Now, a report from Italy’s parliamentary security committee (COPASIR) confirms that the country’s intelligence services began using Paragon tools in 2023 and continued into 2024, employing them on a limited number of targets. Officially, the surveillance was conducted under judicial authorization and directed at suspects involved in terrorism, fuel smuggling, and espionage.

Paragon founders with investor Ehud Barak (second from right).

But the newly disclosed case of two prominent activists with the Mediterranea Saving Humans NGO – Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia – undermines the clean narrative. Both were explicitly targeted by Italy’s foreign intelligence agency in September 2024, after receiving clearance from Giorgia Meloni’s top intelligence advisor, Alfredo Mantovano. The justification: alleged ties to irregular immigration, not their high-profile work rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean.

A Sicilian court recently ordered Casarini and Caccia, along with four other Mediterranea crew members, to stand trial for allegedly aiding illegal immigration, marking the first criminal case of its kind in Italy. Human rights groups have decried the prosecutions as politically motivated, arguing that the government is criminalizing humanitarian efforts at sea.

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.

Both the Italian government and Paragon confirmed the termination, but offered diverging narratives.

The controversy has provoked condemnation from opposition parties and media freedom advocates. Italy’s journalists’ union, FNSI, urged prosecutors to determine whether state surveillance laws were broken.

Paragon’s software was allegedly used to target individuals in Italy, including a journalist and members of the migrant rescue organisation Mediterranea, which has frequently criticised Meloni’s right-wing government.

Meta-owned WhatsApp revealed in January that the spyware had been deployed against dozens of users globally — including some in Italy.

Italian government denies illegality

The government has admitted that seven Italians were targeted, but maintains that any surveillance was lawful and overseen by a public prosecutor. It denied engaging in illicit spying and said it had tasked the National Cybersecurity Agency with reviewing the matter.

One of those allegedly targeted, Francesco Cancellato, editor of investigative outlet Fanpage, had claimed to the Reuters news agency and others that he was placed under surveillance.

But COPASIR said it 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.

Meloni’s office has declined to comment. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers are demanding that the government explain its role in parliament.

The report also revealed that Italy’s intelligence services had authorised the use of Paragon’s spyware in 2023 and 2024 to monitor a small number of individuals in connection with criminal investigations, including suspected “terrorism”, people smuggling and espionage.

COPASIR defended the surveillance of Mediterranea members Luca Casarini and Beppe Caccia, saying it was not due to their activism but their suspected links to irregular migration. The spyware’s use on them was approved by Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, Meloni’s top intelligence adviser, on September 5, 2024.

Mantovano did not respond to requests for comment.

Last month, a Sicilian court ordered Casarini, Caccia and four others to stand trial for allegedly aiding irregular immigration – a case widely seen as a test of Italy’s approach to migrant rescues. All deny the charges.

And as such,