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.”

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
Staff Writer (Security)

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.

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