Pension Fund Investment Linked to Spyware Firm with Operations in Italy
What happened
Access Now wrote to several pension funds, including Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, regarding their investment in AE Industrial Partners. AE Industrial Partners acquired Paragon Solutions in 2024 and merged it with REDLattice. Access Now stated that Paragon's spyware, Graphite, has a documented history of targeting journalists and activists.
From scoop.co.nz
Why it matters
The report highlights that Paragon's technology has been used to target civil society actors in Italy. Access Now urged pension fund managers to address human rights risks in their portfolios and demand safeguards from AE Industrial Partners.
From scoop.co.nz
Who's involved
- Los Angeles County Employees Retirement AssociationPension fund holding investments in Paragon
- ParagonTechnology vendor whose spyware has been used against journalists and activists
- ItalyGeopolitical state where Paragon's technology has targeted civil society actors
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
The pension fund might face increased investment risk due to the human rights concerns surrounding its holdings in AE Industrial Partners.
- ParagonSpeculative
Paragon could face increased scrutiny over its core business and potential costs related to human rights allegations regarding its spyware product.
Keep exploring
The entities involved
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Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association
Independent agency to administer retirement pensions
Nothing else this week.
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Paragon
implementation of NTFS for Mac OS and Linux
Nothing else this week.
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Italy
country in southern Europe