By Alessia Peretti*
A growing spyware scandal is shaking Italy, as revelations emerge of journalists, activists, and NGOs being targeted with Israeli-made surveillance tools - sparking political backlash, government denials, and calls for an EU inquiry.
“This is one of the most serious attacks on the rule of law in Europe,” said Sandro Ruotolo, a Democratic Party MEP (S&D) who organised a press conference in Strasbourg last week on the issue of European citizens targeted by Israeli-made spyware.
“We have sent a letter, signed by opposition forces in Italy, to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, calling for an inquiry committee,” Ruotolo told Euractiv, emphasising that this is not just an Italian matter.
According to a statement by the Italian government, a total of 90 individuals across 14 EU countries have been targeted in violation of established engagement rules and seven cases have been confirmed so far in Italy.
“We want to know which countries have illegally spied on their own citizens, why, and how we can protect European citizens,” Ruotolo added, noting that European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy Henna Virkkunen is expected to attend a hearing in EP’s civil liberties committee (LIBE) today, where he intends to raise the issue.
However, expectations from the EU Commission remain low. On 6 February, European Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert told reporters that national authorities would be responsible for probing such allegations and not the EU executive, noting however that, in general, “any attempt to illegally access the data of citizens, including journalists and political opponents, is unacceptable, if proven.”
The “Paragon case” surfaced after public denunciations from Fanpage director Francesco Cancellato and Mediterranea Saving Humans mission chief Luca Casarini.
Cancellato, whose outlet has published two major investigations into Giorgia Meloni’s party over the past year, and Casarini, engaged in sea rescue operations for migrants, both revealed they had received warnings from Meta.
The tech giant informed them that their devices had been “compromised by a high-level spyware operation using one of the most sophisticated surveillance tools available.”
The controversy revolves around Paragon Solutions, the Israeli company behind the advanced spyware Graphite. While Paragon claims to sell its technology exclusively to “a select group of global democracies, primarily the United States and its allies,” Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the company’s Italian clients included “two separate entities: a law enforcement agency and an intelligence organization.”
David Yambio, spokesperson for Refugees in Libya, was also present at the Strasbourg press conference. Closely connected to the targeted NGO members, Yambio was similarly notified that his device had been subjected to a “high-level” spyware attack, although it has not yet been confirmed that Paragon’s Graphite software was used.
Speaking to Euractiv, Yambio warned that the scandal signals “a huge breakdown in the rule of law.”
“It starts with me as a migrant who has no voice, no legal ground to stand against them. But then it moves to the Italian sea rescue workers, then to journalists. Tomorrow, it could be a judge, then someone else,” he said.
He argued that the oppressive regimes driving people to flee Africa are now manifesting in Europe - albeit “in a much fancier, more bureaucratic way.”
“I see no difference from the regime I escaped, which makes me feel even more unsafe,” he concluded.
Two conflicting narratives
On 6 February, The Guardian reported that Paragon terminated its contract with the Italian government “out of an abundance of caution” following initial allegations of potential misuse, as the contract did not allow for journalists or members of civil society to be targeted, citing a person familiar with the matter.
However, on 12 February, Minister for Parliamentary Relations Luca Ciriani refuted the claims, stating, “No contracts have been terminated in recent days. All systems remain fully operational against those who threaten national security.” He also insisted that Graphite had never been used to monitor journalists or government critics.
“The government will take legal action against anyone who directly accused it of spying on journalists,” Ciriani announced.
On the same day, Undersecretary to the Prime Minister Alfredo Mantovano stated that “if there has been any misuse, which certainly cannot be attributed to Paragon, as it merely provides the software, it falls under judicial authorities, as crimes have been committed. We are awaiting the outcome of these investigations.”
Despite repeated requests from the opposition and the individuals involved, the only official responses came from an initial statement by the government and Wednesday’s remarks by Ciriani and Mantovano.
Just three days later, news agency Ansa, citing intelligence sources, revealed that Italy had in fact suspended its contract with Paragon Solutions pending an investigation by the parliamentary intelligence oversight committee (COPASIR) and the National Cybersecurity Agency.
“On Wednesday, the government said one thing; by Friday, it said another. First, they denied any suspension, then they suspended the spyware,” Ruotolo remarked, arguing that the situation calls for urgent clarification.
*first published in euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
