Spyware developed by a U.S.-backed Israeli firm was used to hack the phones of at least three prominent European journalists, including two editors from an Italian investigative news outlet, according to new forensic evidence uncovered by Citizen Lab researchers.
The findings come amid growing questions about what role the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni may have played in spying on journalists and civil society activists critical of her leadership, and raised new concerns about the potential for abuse of commercial spyware, even in democratic countries.
"Any attempts to illegally access data of citizens, including journalists and political opponents, is unacceptable, if confirmed,” the European Commission said in a statement Wednesday in response to questions from members of parliament. "The Commission will use all the tools at its disposal to ensure the effective application of EU law.”
Meloni's office declined to comment Thursday, but a prominent member of her Cabinet has said that Italy "rigorously respected” the law and that the government hadn't illegally spied on journalists.
The company behind the hacks, Paragon Solutions, has sought to position itself as a virtuous player in the mercenary spyware industry and won U.S. government contracts, The Associated Press found.
