On Wednesday, Mediterranean saving peopleAn Italian non -profit organization with the mission of rescuing immigrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe, said one of its founders was among the goals of a recent Spyware campaign against Whatsapp users.
In a press releaseMediterranea said WhatsApp informed its founder, Luca Casarini, last week that it had been targeted by Spyware from Paragon Solutions, the start of Israeli surveillance technology. On Friday, Whatsapp said it had disturbed a espionage campaign using the Paragon Spyware targeting about 90 people.
At that time, the company’s post-ownership stated that there were journalists and members of civil society among the targets, without saying anyone. Since then some of the goals, including Casarini, have begun to come.
The first person was Francesco Cancellato, director of Fanpage.itAn Italian news website that has published investigations into organized crime and corruption. Last year reported the publication a square documentary This has shown some members of the party’s wing of the party that is currently running the Italian government singing for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, chanting Nazi slogans and making racist observations.
After Cancellato, Swedish activist Husam El Gomati Also came forward. El Gomati criticizes how Libya and Italy worked to stop immigrants from crossing the Mediterranean. And now, Casarini is the last person to be alerted by WhatsApp.
All three goals have one thing in common, their work or work, has criticized the current Italian government, led by far -right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“Rescue activities at sea and help in people imprisoned in Libya camps or deported to the desert are the focus of the attention of Italian intelligence, especially AISE, operating in Libya and Tunisia,” he told Mediterranea’s press release In her press release. “A few questions arise: Did the Italian government authorize such a business? The Italian secret services use Paragon software?”
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So far, the Italian government has not answered this question, neither the government has commented on Cancellato’s cases or Casarini.
The Italian government, through the official e -mail address, as well as Fabrizio Alfano, head of the Meloni Press Office, did not respond to TechCrunch requests for comments and questions, which included whether Italy bought Paragon’s spyware.
Ynetnews, Israeli News Website, referenced Monday that Italy is a Paragon customer.
John Fleming, executive president of the Paragon subsidiary of the US subsidiary, did not respond to a request to comment on the Casarini case, nor did he respond to comments on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Fleming told TechCrunch that Paragon, acquired by the US Private Share Fund AE Industrial in December, is selling its products “to a selected group of global democracies – mainly in the United States and its allies”.
‘[Paragon] It requires all users to agree on terms and conditions that explicitly prohibit the illegal targeting of journalists and other elements of civil society. We have a zero tolerance policy over this target and will end our relationship with any customer who violates the terms of service, “Fleming told the statement.
Fleming has not yet answered questions about Paragon, including whether the Italian government is a customer and whether Paragon is investigating WhatsApp’s allegations and the goals that have come so far.
Mediterranea said that the Citizen Laboratory, a digital rights organization at the University of Toronto that has explored Spyware for more than a decade, is conducting a Casarini telephone survey.
John Scott-Rilton, a senior Lab Lab researcher, confirmed to TechCrunch that they are actively investigating Paragon.
Scott-railton warned that these cases are another reminder that the Spyware Mercenary industry, with companies such as the NSO Group and the Paragon, has been supplying abuses for years, even in democratic countries.
“If you sell secret surveillance in democracies, you must be incredibly skeptical for your customers and take the possibility that abuse is hidden around every corner. If you do not, you choose deliberate ignorance. For me, this shows something fundamental to the model Spyware Mercenary, which is: If you sell tracking tools, it’s just a question of when technology will be abused, not if it will be, “Scott-Railton said.
