Spyware Israeli manufacturer Paragion Solutions confirmed to Techcrunch that it sells its products to the US government and other unspecified allied countries.
Paragon’s executive chairman, John Fleming, said in a statement to Techcrunch on Tuesday that, “Paragon, license his technology in a selected group of global democracies – mainly, the United States and its allies.”
Fleming also said Paragon “requires all users to agree with terms and conditions that clearly prohibit the illegal target of journalists and other civil society figures. We have a zero tolerance policy against such target and will To complete our relationship with any customer that violates our service conditions. “
These comments come after WhatsApp claimed on Friday that Spyware Paragon was used in a hack campaign aimed at about 90 journalists and other civil society members. Since then, at least two people have come forward claiming to have been among the targets: Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato and Sweden -based Libyan activist Husam El Gomati.
Fleming did not answer a series of specific questions, including the search for more details on who he considers Paragon as an American ally and a democracy; Exactly what exactly says his service conditions regarding the prohibition of the goals of journalists and civil society members with its spyware; If the company can and investigates abuse claims, such as those made by WhatsApp; If the company is investigating WhatsApp’s claims; And if Paragon has ever terminated a contract due to such violations.
Contact us
Do you have more information about Paragon Solutions? From a job without work, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai safely on the signal at +1 917 257 1382, or through the telegram and keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You can also contact techcrunch via securedrop.
Last year, Wired initially reported that the US branch Paragon had signed a $ 2 million contract with the implementation of immigration and customs in the US, but the company did not comment at the time.
The American Private Capital Firm AE industrial made an effort to get Paragon last year for about $ 900 million. When reached comment, AE industrial spokesman Matt Conroy did not comment and postpone Paragon.
WhatsApp said Friday that he had sent him a vacation and delay letter before Paragon. Fleming refused to comment on the letter.
Cancellato is the director of the Fanpage.it news website, who published an investigation last year in “Gioventù Meloniana”, the youth wing of the Fratelli D’Italia party, led by the current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was in charge of the government Italian since 2022. Thanks to the secret records of members of “Gioventù Meloniana”, Fanpage indicated that a number of them made racist and anti-Semitic remarks, used the word N, and cheers the Nazi and pro-Italian dictator Benito Mussolini slogans slogans. Investigation led opposition parties to criticize Meloni.
“I feel violated,” said Cancellato, who spoke to find out that his phone was targeted, Techcrunch told him. “You ask yourself, why do I? That’s the thing, I mean, what did they want from me? “
While El Gomat lives in Sweden and is Libyan, he has criticized relations between the Italian and Libyan government, especially their cooperation to stop Libyan immigrants from crossing the Mediterranean Sea and reaching the European country.
Ynetnews reported Monday that Italy is a Paragon client. But there has been no other confirmation of this claim so far.
Fleming did not answer when asked if Italy was a client of Paragon, and the Italian government did not respond to a comment request from Techcrunch.
