“This latest research adds to previous findings by Amnesty International and other civil society partners exposing the rampant misuse of spyware across Europe

Responding to the publication of a Citizen Lab report identifying multiple cases involving the use of Paragon’s spyware against journalists and human rights defenders in Italy, the Head of Amnesty International’s Security Lab, Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, said:

“The alarming discovery that Paragon’s highly invasive Graphite spyware has been used against human rights defenders and journalists in Italy underscores the worsening digital surveillance crisis across Europe.

“Of particular concern is the targeting of sea rescue organizations engaged in life-saving activities in the Mediterranean. This adds a dangerous new digital threat to organizations already grappling with legal threats, obstruction and criminalization in Italy.

Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, Head of Amnesty International’s Security Lab 

“This latest research adds to previous findings by Amnesty International and other civil society partners exposing the rampant misuse of spyware across Europe. Despite repeated and ongoing scandals in Serbia, Spain, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and now Italy, authorities at both the national and European levels have failed to take effective action. Europe’s shameful laissez-faire approach to regulation of the surveillance industry is fueling the global spyware crisis.”

“An independent investigation by Amnesty International’s Security Lab over the past 6 months has uncovered additional cases of apparent spyware use targeting other sea rescue activists in Italy. Ongoing civil society research is almost certain to unearth more victims. What we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg”.

Background

The spyware targets include journalist Francesco Cancellato, Mediterranea Saving Humans founder Luca Casarini and co-founder Dr Giuseppe “Beppe” Caccia. Citizen Lab also found that the phone of Refugees in Libya founder David Yambio, showed spyware targeting, but which Citizen Lab did not definitively attribute to Paragon at this stage.

Paragon’s Graphite spyware product is a form of highly invasive spyware capable of covertly accessing the most intimate and sensitive data on an individual’s phone, and cannot be independently audited. Such an intrusive tool can never be human rights compliant and should be banned.

Last month, WhatsApp notified 90 individuals that they had been targeted by spyware, with reports confirming that many of the victims were journalists and human rights activists.

For over a year, the European Commission has failed to implement the recommendations of the European Parliament Committee of Inquiry’s recommendations regarding Pegasus and similar surveillance spyware (PEGA), leaving activists, journalists, and other vulnerable individuals exposed to these dangerous surveillance tools.