ROME

The Italian government reported on Thursday that seven mobile phone users in the country were targeted by spyware on Meta's WhatsApp messaging platform.

In a statement, the office of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the government considers the issue serious and has mobilized the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN), which operates under the premier's office.

"The ACN has contacted the law firm Advant, authorized by WhatsApp Ireland Limited. So far, it has been determined that seven Italian users have been affected," the statement read.

It noted that the identities of the affected individuals were not revealed to the cybersecurity agency because WhatsApp Ireland Limited had informed the victims directly while respecting their privacy.

The Italian government also revealed that users in Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, the Greek Cypriot Administration, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden were also targeted.

The statement also denied using spyware to conduct surveillance on Italians, as reported by some media outlets.

Following the government's statement, the news website Fanpage, which had previously reported that its editor-in-chief, Francesco Cancellato, was among those targeted, published another report stating that, despite the denial, suspicions over the issue remain.

According to the media outlet, the spyware used to monitor Cancellato was developed by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli company that allegedly sells its technology to "allied governments" under the condition that it is not used to target journalists or activists.

WhatsApp warned about Israeli spyware

In late January, WhatsApp warned that around 90 journalists and civil society members may have been targeted by "Graphite," a spyware developed by Israeli-based Paragon Solutions.

Cancellato, whose news site Fanpage exposed pro-fascist elements within the youth wing of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party in June 2024, said he learned he was targeted after receiving a warning message from WhatsApp.

Another alleged victim, Luca Casarini, the founder and president of the humanitarian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans, which operates rescue missions for migrants crossing the Mediterranean, also reported being affected.