Israeli spyware company confirms US government and friends are customers

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US government purchases Israeli spyware, firm claims

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  • The US government has been confirmed as a Paragon customer
  • Paragon was recently accused of targeting journalists by WhatsApp
  • Paragon "explicitly prohibit(s)" the targeting of journalists

Notorious Israeli spyware manufacturing company Paragon Solutions has confirmed the US government is a purchaser of its products.

Speaking to TechCrunch, Paragon’s executive chairman John Fleming said, “Paragon licenses its technology to a select group of global democracies — principally, the United States and its allies.”

The confirmation comes days after WhatsApp revealed Paragon had attempted to illegally install its spyware on the devices of up to 90 journalists and members of civil society through a zero-click deployment.

Paragon prohibits targeting journalists, does it anyway

Fleming's statement continued, saying Paragon, “requires that all users agree to terms and conditions that explicitly prohibit the illicit targeting of journalists and other civil society figures. We have a zero-tolerance policy against such targeting and will terminate our relationship with any customer that violates our terms of service.”

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TechCrunch said Fleming did not respond to a number of other questions, such as who Paragon considers as a US ally, and the specifics on the terms of service regarding the targeting of journalists, among other targeted questions about the accusations made by WhatsApp, and if Paragon investigates allegations of abuse or had severed a contract because of violations.

Two of the journalists targeted in the WhatsApp campaign have come forward. Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato, director of Fanpage.it, which published undercover video recordings of the youth wing of Italy’s ruling party, Fratelli d’Italia, making racist and anti-semitic remarks, and chanting Nazi and pro-fascist slogans of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

Libyan activist Husam El Gomati, who is based in Sweden, has criticized efforts made between the Italian and Libyan governments to stop Libyan immigrants from crossing into Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. Both Cancellato and Gomati confirmed they had been targeted by Paragon in the spyware attack.

Via TechCrunch

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at TechRadar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.

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