Italian Political Consultant, Francesco Nicodemo
January 1, 2025
•[ spyware, government surveillance, targeted attack ]
Italian political consultant Francesco Nicodemo, who has worked with centre-left politicians, revealed in November 2025 that he was notified by WhatsApp in January that his phone had been targeted with Paragon spyware. His case broadens an existing spyware scandal in Italy that has already affected journalists, activists and business leaders. Parliamentary committee COPASIR has acknowledged that Italian intelligence agencies used Paragon in some cases, but it is unclear who ordered surveillance on Nicodemo or whether his device was successfully infected, prompting calls from experts for greater transparency from both the government and the spyware vendor.