An Italian parliamentary committee has confirmed that the government used the Israeli-made spyware Graphite, developed by the offensive cyber company Paragon, to hack the smartphones of several activists working with migrants.

The committee confirmed that Paragon provided Graphite to two Italian agencies, including the country’s external intelligence service, starting in 2023. The version of Graphite provided did not include the ability to activate the phone’s microphone or camera, the report said. Instead, it only enabled its operators access to encrypted communications on the hacked devices.

The report also confirmed that Graphite exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp that Meta identified and patched in December 2024, one month before the spyware’s activity was publicly disclosed. The vulnerability’s discovery also caused “panic” at Israel’s military intelligence Unit 8200, according to the recent Israeli television report.

  • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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    9 hours ago

    I just have this feeling like you get persecuted for speaking against the government in countries like China

    Tell that to the students that were expelled from their universities and had their degrees revoked or the public employees that were for fired for speaking out against the American government’s support for the Gazan genocide.

    Not to mention the civil servants that were fired/fined for advocating for LGBTQ rights in the decades past.

    • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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      9 hours ago

      USA sucks as well. As far as I’m concerned, it is not a democratic country that supports freedom of speech and I’ll never go there.

      USA is a bit similar to china on this subject

      • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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        9 hours ago

        it’s not just the usa; similar actions have happened in the uk and france regarding the genocide and they’ve also punished people for advocating for lgbtq rights in the past.

        that feeling that you have regarding repression from countries like china is only a feeling; not reality.

        • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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          9 hours ago

          that feeling that you have regarding repression from countries like china is only a feeling; not reality.

          Even though we have many instances where this happened? And people dissapeared in Hong Kong? Come on, you must be joking.

          • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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            9 hours ago

            i literally just pointed out many instances of the same thing happening outside of china; my point is that it happens everywhere and your feeling that it only happens is china is not reality.

            • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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              8 hours ago

              Your comment only implied that it did not happen in China.

              I still feel like it’s worse there. It happens everywhere sure, but not as much. Fuck their shitty firewall and fuck surveillance.

              I’ll just stop here because we’re getting nowhere. You’re saying it happens everywhere, I agree, but feel like it happens more in China for example.

                • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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                  8 hours ago

                  Those feelings are based on facts.

                  The great firewall, Hong Kong, censorship against other regimes and countries, Taiwan, social credit… fucking WeChat!?

                  • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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                    8 hours ago

                    You’ve already admitted that your feelings are not based on data or facts. And the fact you still think social credit is real or that “Taiwan” just as a word is condemnation of China certainly confirms that.