In a significant revelation on Wednesday, researchers confirmed the presence of Paragon spyware on Apple devices utilized by journalists across Europe, igniting concerns amid an escalating surveillance scandal in Italy.
The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab published a report detailing its findings, which identified spyware on the device of Ciro Pellegrino, an Italian journalist associated with the investigative outlet Fanpage. This confirmation follows earlier allegations regarding the targeting of Francesco Cancellato, another journalist from the same outlet. Notably, Citizen Lab also detected spyware on the device of a third, unnamed European journalist.
Paragon, which has been likened to the infamous NSO Group for its mercenary spyware solutions, has faced sharp criticism for its lack of accountability. “Paragon is a relatively young company that has tried to present itself as clean and undetectable,” remarked John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab. He noted the troubling similarities between Paragon and NSO Group, both mired in scandals surrounding the misuse of their technologies.
While Paragon has opted not to address the findings from Citizen Lab, the investigation calls into question the targeting patterns observed, particularly regarding Italian journalists. A recent contract termination between Paragon and the Italian government has only intensified scrutiny of the relationship and the subsequent implications. Natalia Krapiva, tech-legal counsel for Access Now, emphasized the need for accountability, stating that professional and critical journalists appear to be specifically targeted.
In light of these findings, the discourse surrounding cyber surveillance and the ethics of mercenary spyware is expected to intensify, with implications for both legal frameworks and journalistic freedoms. As observed by Scott-Railton, “If you sell mercenary spyware to governments, they are going to use it and potentially abuse it in ways you cannot control,” highlighting a harsh reality within the spyware industry.