On Friday, the Milan prosecutor’s office announced the placement of four individuals under house arrest and imposed personal prohibitions—essentially suspending certain rights—on two others as part of a sweeping investigation into organized crime aimed at unauthorized access to computer systems. Several companies were also seized, through which the suspects allegedly established a system for illegally accessing sensitive databases. The aim was reportedly to sell information on entrepreneurs, politicians, public figures, and even ordinary citizens.
The investigation, coordinated by the Milan Anti-Mafia Directorate, reveals that sensitive data was stolen from Italy’s most important databases. These include the SDI (Sistema Di Indagine), which law enforcement uses to check individuals’ criminal backgrounds; the INPS archives, which store information on contributions and incomes; the Serpico system, utilized by the Revenue Agency to cross-reference potential cases of tax evasion, and which holds tax declarations; the ANPR (National Registry of Resident Population); and the SIVA (Financial Guard’s Information System) for reports of suspicious financial transactions.
Among those investigated are notable figures, including Enrico Pazzali, president of the Fondazione Fiera Milano, and Carmine Galli, a former police officer known in the Milan area for his involvement in significant investigations. Both were majority and minority shareholders, respectively, of Equalize, a private investigation firm currently at the center of the inquiry and under seizure. The list of suspects also includes IT consultants, active members of law enforcement, and even a magistrate.
A few months ago, the term “dossieraggio” gained traction in discussions surrounding a major investigation by the Perugia prosecutor’s office concerning alleged unauthorized access to the databases of the national anti-mafia prosecutor’s office. This investigation implicated Lieutenant Pasquale Striano of the Financial Guard and magistrate Antonio Laudati, who allegedly collected confidential information on numerous politicians and high-profile individuals. Initial reports suggest that the Milan investigation is even more serious, as it involves a greater number of databases and a well-established payment system that appears to have created a sort of “information marketplace.”
As authorities continue to unravel this complex web of cybercrime, the implications of these findings could be far-reaching, exposing vulnerabilities within the data security framework of Italy’s institutions and raising urgent questions about privacy and ethics in the digital age.
