EU MPs travel to Rome: Enlightenment in the spy scandal required!

EU MPs travel to Rome: Enlightenment in the spy scandal required!

Rom, Italien - On Friday, May 27, 2025, a delegation from EU MPs from the Libe Committee will travel to Rome to pursue developments in the Paragon Spy Candal. The case triggered outrage throughout Italy after it became known that the Israeli surveillance program Graphite from Paragon was used to monitor investigative journalists and NGO activists. This is regarded as a suspected fracture of contract, which led to the termination of the contract between the Italian government and Paragon. However, the Italian government refuses to publicly announce further details. Instead, clarifications should be made in front of the Copasir, the parliamentary committee for monitoring the intelligence services.

The delegation is managed and plans by Sandro Ruotolo, an Italian Social Democrats, meetings with those affected by Spionage software, representatives of the Italian press and members of the Copasir Committee. Today, the Committee for Civil Freedoms in the European Parliament, in which the EU digital commissioner will also take part in Virkkuns.

Details on the espionage attacks

According to reports from the "Guardian" and further information, at least seven journalists and activists were spied on with Italian area code (+39). Those affected critically deal with the migration policy of Italy and include Francesco Cancellato, editor -in -chief of Fanpage, and Luca Casarini, an activist from the NGO Mediterranea. Other reports suggest that two other Mediterranea activists are also affected.

An alarming discovery came from Citizen Lab, which found that at least 90 WhatsApp users in two dozen countries, including 13 EU countries, were attacked with the Trojan "Graphite". The infiltration originated in a WhatsApp chat and an infected PDF file. WhatsApp informed those affected about the attacks, which are not limited to Italy. There are also concerns about such attacks internationally.

Reactions and investigations

The Italian government commissioned the National Cyber ​​Security Agency to investigate the case. Nevertheless, she refuses further information and makes it clear that all explanations are submitted exclusively in the parliamentary control committee. In the meantime, Paragon, which was founded in 2019 and was sold to the US private equity company AE in 2024, withdrawn Italy to access its software. The company also plans legal steps against WhatsApp due to the end-to-end encryption.

The situation is also considered in the context of the Pegasus scandal of 2021, which raised questions about surveillance and the rights of journalists. John Scott Railton from the Citizen Lab expects further revelations in this sensitive case.

In summary, the EU and especially Italy faces the challenge of producing transparency in surveillance policy and at the same time protecting the rights of civil society. Luca Casarini and Francesco Cancellato announced a press conference in the EU Parliament in order to draw attention to the critical situation.

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