Even when the WhatsApp celebrated a major legal victory against the NSO group in December, a new Israeli -making company is one of the world’s most powerful cyber wones, an Israeli -based company included a new The danger has been discovered, including another Israeli -based company that has previously agreed on agreements with democratic governments. World – including the United States.
At the end of January, WhatsApp claimed that Spyware targeted 90 users, including some journalists and members of civil society, by Spyware by a company called Paragon Society. The allegation is raising immediate questions about how Paragon’s official clients are using a powerful hacking tool.
Three people – an Italian journalist named Francisco Kanselo. A high profile Italian founder of an NGO who supports immigrants named Luka Kesarini. And a Swedish -based Libyan activist, named Hassam al -Gomumi, announced that he was among the 90 people whose mobile phones were probably compromised last year.
It is likely to be known soon, when researchers at the Citizens Lab at Toronto University, who investigate digital risks against civil society and work together with WhatsApp, are expected to violate Will issue a new technical report related to.
Like the NSO group, Paragon licenses its spyware, called Griffite, to government agencies. If it is successfully deployed, it can hack any phone without mobile phone user knowledge, which has the ability to stop phone calls, access photos and read encrypted messages Can Paragon said, it was aimed at US policy, demanding such spyware to help governments only “national security missions, including counter -terrorism, counter -drugs and anti -intelligence”. Use for
In a statement to the Guardian, a Paragon representative said that the company has a “zero tolerance policy to violate our terms of service”. The representative said, “We have been demanded from all our technology users to stick to the terms and conditions that prevent journalists and other civil society leaders from illegally targeting.”
It seems that the company has so far worked in response to these issues. The Guardian reported last week that Paragon withdrew its contract with Italy for violating the terms of its contract with the group. Italy – had hours before the Guardian’s story was broken – any knowledge was denied in targeting journalists and workers, saying it would investigate the matter.
David, who previously served as a special representative about freedom of expression and opinion from 2014 to 2020, and said that marketing of military grade surveillance products, such as Med Med Med, through Paragon, ” The extraordinary dangers of abuse come with “.
“Like the NSO Group’s Pegasus Spyware, it is easier for governments to avoid the basic principles of rule of law. Although all the details are not known, we are seeing the possibility of abuse with Italy in the case of Italy. That’s how we have seen that Europe, Mexico and somewhere else in other contexts.
The problem seems especially related in the United States. In 2019, during the first Donald Trump administration, the FBI obtained a limited license to test the NSO group’s Pagasis. The FBI said that Spyware was never used in domestic investigations and there is no evidence that Trump or the Biden administration used Spyware domesticly.
Despite the growing reports of abuse, including the use of NSO spyware against US diplomats abroad, the Biden administration blacklisted the NSO in 2021, saying that the company’s tools have given foreign governments international Helping repression and represented national security threat.
Biden also signed an executive order in 2023, which discouraged the use of spyware by the federal government and allowed it to be used in limited conditions.
So it was surprising when it was Reported by wired Last year, when the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency signed a $ 2 million contract with the Biden administration under the Biden administration. The agreement was allegedly withheld after the news became public and its current status is not clear. Ice did not respond to a comment.
A Paragon representative said the company “is deeply committed to following all US rules and regulations” and that it is fully complying with Biden’s Executive Order of 2023. The man also pointed out that Paragon is now an American -owned company, after the occupation of AE industrial partners. It also has an American subsidiary based in Virginia, headed by John Fleming, who is a CIA experienced experienced as an executive chair.
However, contrary to its predecessor, the new US administration has publicly said it will try to use the government against Trump’s political enemies. Trump has repeatedly said that he will try to use the army to “take the enemy from the inside.” He has carried out career prosecutors, who have investigated him, military members, Congress members, intelligence agents and former officials who are likely to be criticized for the prosecution. He has never clearly stated that he will use spyware against these rivals.
Researchers from Citizens Lab and Amnesty Tech are considered to be a leading expert to detect illegal surveillance against civil society members, who have occurred in several democracies, including India, Mexico and Hungary.
