Paragon says it canceled contracts with Italy over government’s refusal to investigate spyware attack on journalist

Summary

Spyware maker Paragon accused the Italian government of refusing its help in investigating whether a journalist was spied on with its technology, according to a statement on Monday. In the statement first reported by Haaretz, Paragon claimed it was this refusal that prompted the company to cut ties with its Italian government customers. “The company offered both the Italian government and parliament a way to determine whether its system had been used against the journalist in violation of Italian law and the contractual terms,” read the statement. “As the Italian authorities chose not to proceed with this solution, Paragon terminated its contracts in Italy.” Paragon confirmed to TechCrunch that the statement was accurate. After TechCrunch contacted Paragon’s executive chairman John Fleming for comment, Emily Horne, who works for Westexec Advisors, responded saying the company is “referring all media queries” to the statements in the Haaretz article. This is the first time a spyware provider has publicly stated it cut ties with a specific customer after reports of abuse. The spyware maker’s accusation is the latest twist in a scandal that erupted in January, when WhatsApp revealed a mass-hacking campaign targeting its users. The messaging app giant said it alerted around 90 users that they were targeted with spyware made by Paragon, a company co-founded by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (pictured). Paragon, which has a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has marketed itself in the U.S. and Europe as ostensibly a more responsible vendor compared to its predecessors in the industry. Francesco Cancellato, the director of news website Fanpage who was the first person to come forward saying he received WhatsApp’s notification, is the journalist that Paragon referred to in the statement. Contact Us Do you have more information about Paragon Solutions, and this spyware campaign? From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchie...