The Secrets of a US Spyware King

Paragon Solutions vowed not to sell its mobile spyware to governments with poor human rights records and to cut off customers who misuse its products. However, in 2025 researchers at the Citizen Lab confirmed that the spyware had been used to target Italian activists and journalists. In an exclusive interview with WIRED, Paragon’s CEO Andrew Boyd revealed the limits of the company’s promise: that it has no way to know if customers misuse its software, and it doesn’t have a “kill switch” to disable customers when there is misuse.

Speaking with WIRED, Citizen Lab’s senior researcher John Scott-Railton noted that Paragon has  “less oversight, less transparency, less contractual protection against abuses than NSO Group,” another spyware company that has faced criticism for its use against journalists, activists, and others. 

“It’s exactly the opposite of the picture that Paragon has painted for itself for years,” says Scott-Railton, “And it signals to lawmakers and regulators that the spyware industry cannot be trusted to self-regulate.”