Second Italian Journalist Targeted with Paragon Spyware, Citizen Lab Reports
Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog group, has revealed that a second Italian journalist was targeted by Paragon spyware, escalating concerns over a surveillance scandal involving the Italian government and the U.S.-owned spyware company. The new report disclosed that Ciro Pellegrino, an investigative journalist at Fanpage, had his iPhone infected with Paragon’s sophisticated spyware.
Pellegrino joins Francesco Cancellato, Fanpage’s editor-in-chief, who earlier confirmed he was targeted by Paragon technology following WhatsApp alerts in January. Fanpage has been critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, notably exposing links between the ruling party’s youth wing and neo-Nazi activities, which has intensified controversy after allegations of surveillance on its journalists surfaced.
The Italian government and Paragon recently announced an end to their collaboration but gave conflicting accounts over who initiated the split. Paragon stated it had offered Italian officials tools to verify if its spyware was used against Cancellato, but these offers were reportedly declined. Italian authorities have not commented on the Citizen Lab findings.
Pellegrino described the spyware discovery as “horrible,” emphasizing that his phone holds deeply personal and professional data, including journalistic sources. This revelation casts doubt on the thoroughness of a recent Italian parliamentary investigation, which confirmed Paragon’s spyware use by Italian intelligence against migrant rescue activists but found no evidence of targeting Fanpage journalists.
Human rights advocate Natalia Krapiva of Access Now called for a reevaluation of the investigation, stating the new findings seriously question its adequacy. Opposition Democratic Party spokesperson Sandro Ruotolo demanded the parliamentary panel reopen its probe, seeking answers on why two journalists were surveilled.
Citizen Lab also disclosed that an unnamed European journalist was targeted with Paragon spyware but provided no further details. The parliamentary panel has reserved the right for further investigations but has not commented on the recent report.