Apple has engaged in a significant notification campaign, informing individuals across 100 countries that they may have been targeted by advanced spyware. Italian investigative journalist Ciro Pellegrino, who works with the online news outlet Fanpage, was surprised and alarmed to receive an email and text message from the tech giant. The messages were as bad as he feared: a spyware attack had zero–clicked his iPhone.
Pellegrino’s case is particularly noteworthy as he is the second Italian journalist this year to be alerted about potential spyware targeting. In early February, my colleague at Fanpage.it, Francesco Cancellato, got a WhatsApp message. It alerted him that Paragon spyware had infected his device. This particular category of spyware is referred to as mercenary spyware. It was produced by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli firm facing increasing backlash over its activities.
In response to revelations that Paragon spyware was used against journalists and activists, the company moved to shut it down permanently. It allegedly cut its connections to the Italian government customer. Such spyware doesn’t just threaten the privacy of individuals. It poses drastic threats to press freedom and endangers the safety of those reporting on sensitive topics.
This week, a Dutch right-wing, anti-LGBTQ activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek broke the disturbing news. Earlier this year, she got a warning from Apple that she had been targeted in a spyware attack. Vlaardingerbroek expressed her distress over the situation, stating that the notification was “an attempt to intimidate me, an attempt to silence me, obviously.” This feeling highlights the chilling effect that this kind of surveillance can have on free expression and journalism.
Apple’s notifications to Pellegrino and others are clear: “This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously.”
Our friends Pellegrino and Vlaardingerbroek have indeed initiated a vital discussion about digital security. They shed light on the dangers that journalists and activists face in this treacherous atmosphere. As of Wednesday, only two people confirmed on the record that they woke up to notices from Apple. This indicates that many others could be similarly confused and still grappling with the implications of their own soon-to-be surveillance.
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