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WhatsApp Uncovers Spyware Campaign Targeting Italian Users

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WhatsApp has revealed that an Italian surveillance firm tricked around 200 users into downloading a fake version of its app embedded with spyware.

The campaign was attributed to ASIGINT, a subsidiary of SIO, which develops cyber intelligence tools for government and law enforcement clients. According to WhatsApp, the attack relied on deception, persuading victims to install malicious software disguised as the legitimate app.

The company described the operation as “highly targeted,” noting that most affected users were based in Italy. The spyware enabled unauthorized surveillance once installed, raising concerns about privacy and digital security.

Meta Platforms, which owns WhatsApp, has taken action to disrupt the campaign. However, details about the specific targets or the full scope of the surveillance have not been disclosed.

This marks the second major spyware-related incident in Italy within 15 months. A previous case involved software from Paragon, which led to a fallout between the company and Italian authorities.

The latest incident highlights the growing use of sophisticated social engineering tactics in cyber espionage, as well as ongoing concerns over the role of commercial surveillance tools in monitoring individuals.

Italian Tax Police Search Amazon in New Probe

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Italian tax police carried out searches at the Milan headquarters of Amazon as part of a new tax evasion investigation, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The Guardia di Finanza also searched the homes of seven Amazon managers and the offices of auditing firm KPMG. KPMG is not under investigation but provided opinions on actions now under scrutiny.

Milan prosecutors have opened an investigation into Amazon EU Sarl, based in Luxembourg, and its director Barbara Scarafia, on suspicion of failing to declare income. Authorities are examining whether Amazon had an undisclosed permanent establishment in Italy between 2019 and 2024 and therefore should have paid higher taxes locally.

According to a 13-page search warrant reviewed by Reuters, prosecutors believe Amazon maintained a permanent base in Italy even before August 2024, when the company entered a cooperative compliance program with Italy’s tax agency and began paying taxes domestically.

Investigators are reviewing employment changes made in 2024, when Amazon EU Sarl dismissed and rehired 159 employees from another Amazon entity. Prosecutors suspect this structure may indicate a permanent establishment during the years under review.

Tax police reportedly seized computers, hard drives and other IT devices, including archived staff emails stored after deletion from company systems.

The new probe adds to ongoing legal pressure on Amazon in Italy. In December, the company agreed to pay 510 million euros to settle a separate tax dispute. Prosecutors are also pursuing additional investigations concerning alleged tax evasion between 2021 and 2024, as well as a separate customs and tax fraud case involving imports from China.

The investigation underscores Italy’s broader efforts to tighten scrutiny of multinational tech firms operating across European tax jurisdictions.

Italy Closes Probe Into DeepSeek After Commitments to Warn Users of AI “Hallucination” Risks

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Italy’s antitrust authority has closed an investigation into Chinese artificial intelligence system DeepSeek after the company agreed to binding commitments aimed at improving warnings about the risk of AI-generated false information.

The probe, launched last June by Italy’s antitrust and consumer protection authority AGCM, focused on allegations that DeepSeek failed to adequately inform users that its AI system could generate inaccurate, misleading, or fabricated content — commonly referred to as “hallucinations.”

The decision to end the investigation was announced in the AGCM’s weekly bulletin published on Monday. According to the regulator, the commitments were submitted by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence and Beijing DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence, which jointly own and operate the DeepSeek platform.

The agreed measures include clearer and more prominent disclosures explaining the risk that, based on user inputs, the AI model may produce outputs containing incorrect or invented information. The AGCM said the new disclosures are designed to be more transparent, intelligible, and immediately visible to users.

“The commitments presented by DeepSeek make disclosures about the risk of hallucinations easier, more transparent, intelligible, and immediate,” the authority said in its bulletin.

The case highlights growing regulatory scrutiny across Europe over how AI systems communicate their limitations to users, particularly as generative AI tools become more widely adopted in consumer-facing applications.