{"id":1469,"date":"2025-05-07T18:47:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T18:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/?p=1469"},"modified":"2025-05-07T19:19:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T19:19:03","slug":"italian-investigative-journalist-targeted-with-smartphone-spyware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/07\/italian-investigative-journalist-targeted-with-smartphone-spyware\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian investigative journalist targeted with smartphone spyware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Italian investigative journalist Ciro Pellegrino announced on Fanpage\u2019s YouTube channel on April 30 that his cell phone had been targeted with spyware. (Screenshot: Fanpage.it\/YouTube)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday, 7 May 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Italian authorities to step up efforts to investigate spyware attacks against journalists at the news site Fanpage.it, was reporter Ciro Pellegrino became the second<\/a> member of staff to reveal<\/a> that his phone had been targeted this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe repeated targeting of Fanpage.it journalists suggests a pattern of surveillance aimed at intimidating and silencing investigative reporting \u2014 a chilling signal to journalists in Italy,\u201d said Attila Mong, CPJ\u2019s Europe representative. \u201cItalian authorities must conduct a swift and transparent investigation, clarify the allegations of government involvement, hold all those responsible to account, and ensure that journalists can work without fear of surveillance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 30, Pellegrino said he had received <\/a>an Apple threat notification warning that his iPhone had been targeted due to his journalistic work, which was later confirmed by cybersecurity experts. Apple sent similar alerts<\/a> last week to users in about 100 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February, Francesco Cancellato, editor-in-chief of Fanpage.it \u2014 which is known for investigating corruption, organized crime, and Italy\u2019s far-right \u2014 revealed that his phone had been targeted<\/a> with Paragon spyware via WhatsApp, as part of a hacking attempt affecting around 90 of the messaging app\u2019s users in dozens of countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pellegrino told CPJ that his phone was being analyzed by security experts, and he was awaiting answers regarding the nature of the spyware, its duration, and the extent of the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After local press freedom groups filed a complaint, the Rome prosecutor\u2019s office launched <\/a>an investigation in March into unauthorized surveillance of journalists and activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to leaks<\/a> from a closed session of Italy\u2019s intelligence oversight committee in March, a government official said spyware surveillance had been approved for some migrant rights activists<\/a>, but Cancellato was not targeted, and the operation was legally authorized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guardian reported <\/a>in February that Paragon had terminated its client relationship with Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CPJ\u2019s email requesting comment from the prosecutor\u2019s office in Rome did not receive a reply.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Italian investigative journalist Ciro Pellegrino announced on Fanpage\u2019s YouTube channel on April 30 that his cell phone had been targeted with spyware. (Screenshot: Fanpage.it\/YouTube) Wednesday, 7 May 2025 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Italian authorities to step up efforts to investigate spyware attacks against journalists at the news site Fanpage.it, was reporter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nItalian investigative journalist targeted with smartphone spyware - GT South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/goldentimessouthsudan.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/07\/italian-investigative-journalist-targeted-with-smartphone-spyware\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Italian investigative journalist targeted with smartphone spyware - GT South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Italian investigative journalist Ciro Pellegrino announced on Fanpage\u2019s YouTube channel on April 30 that his cell phone had been targeted with spyware. 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