Meta Platforms informed Luca Casarini, a prominent Italian migrant rescue activist, that he was recently targeted with spyware, according to a screenshot of the alert shared with Reuters. It marks the second such case disclosed in Italy.
Casarini, co-founder of the Mediterranea Saving Humans charity, revealed that he received the warning via Meta's WhatsApp chat platform on Friday. This warning coincided with the targeting of approximately ninety users in over two dozen countries, which included reporters and activists.
In its public statement, Meta accused Paragon of attempting to extract data from users through a sophisticated "zero-click" hack that required no interaction from the target. However, Meta chose not to comment on the message sent to Casarini. Paragon and its parent company, Florida investment group AE Industrial Partners, did not respond to emails promptly.
Casarini has faced backlash from anti-migrant, pro-government newspapers in Italy due to his charity's efforts in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean. He has also had legal issues surrounding allegedly aiding illegal immigration and mentioned that his communications were previously intercepted in connection with that case.
Regarding the hacking attempt on his phone flagged by WhatsApp, Casarini expressed concerns about the breach's implications on democracy. The Italian interior ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the matter.
This disclosure by Casarini follows Italian journalist Francesco Cancellato, who recently revealed that he received a similar WhatsApp alert last Friday. Cancellato, from the independent online newspaper Fanpage, specializes in undercover investigations, including ones involving members of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's youth wing expressing fascist ideologies.
Cancellato expressed shock at the intrusion but refrained from attributing blame until his newspaper had conducted its investigation into the spying incident.