Paragon Solutions Confirms U.S. Government as Customer

Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions has confirmed to TechCrunch that it sells its products to the U.S. government and other unspecified allied countries.

Statement from Paragon’s Executive Chairman

In a statement to TechCrunch, Paragon’s executive chairman John Fleming stated, "Paragon licenses its technology to a select group of global democracies — principally, the United States and its allies." Fleming also emphasized that 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."

Allegations of Targeting Journalists

These comments come after WhatsApp alleged that Paragon’s spyware was used in a hacking campaign targeting around 90 journalists and other members of civil society. Since then, at least two people have come forward claiming they were among the targets: Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato and Sweden-based Libyan activist Husam El Gomati.

Lack of Response from Paragon

Fleming did not respond to a series of specific questions, including asking for more details about who Paragon considers to be a U.S. ally and a democracy; what exactly its terms of service say about the prohibition of targeting journalists and members of civil society with its spyware; whether the company can and does investigate allegations of abuse; whether the company is investigating WhatsApp’s allegations; and if Paragon has ever terminated a contract because of such violations.

Contact Information

If you have more information about Paragon Solutions, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email. You can also contact TechCrunch via SecureDrop.

Previous Reports

Last year, Wired first reported that Paragon’s U.S. subsidiary had signed a contract worth $2 million with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. U.S. private equity firm AE Industrial made a bid to acquire Paragon last year for around $900 million.

WhatsApp’s Cease and Desist Letter

WhatsApp said Friday that it had sent a cease and desist letter to Paragon. Fleming declined to comment on the letter.

Investigation into "Gioventù Meloniana"

Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato, who was targeted by Paragon’s spyware, published an investigation last year on the "Gioventù Meloniana," the youth wing of the Fratelli d’Italia party, led by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The investigation showed that members of the "Gioventù Meloniana" made racist and antisemitic remarks, used the N-word, and chanted Nazi and pro-Italian dictator Benito Mussolini slogans.

Response from Cancellato

Cancellato told TechCrunch, "I feel violated. You ask yourself, why me? This is the thing, I mean, what did they want from me?"

El Gomati’s Criticism of Italian and Libyan Government

Husam El Gomati, a Sweden-based Libyan activist, has criticized the relationship between the Italian and Libyan government, particularly their collaboration to stop Libyan immigrants from crossing the Mediterranean sea and reaching the European country.

Italy’s Potential Paragon Customer

Ynetnews reported on Monday that Italy is a Paragon customer, but there hasn’t been any other confirmation of that claim so far. Fleming did not respond when asked if Italy was a Paragon customer, and the Italian government did not respond to a request for comment by TechCrunch.