{{Short description|Israeli IDF officer and businessman}} {{Infobox military person | name = Tal Dilian | native_name = טל דיליאן | native_name_lang = he | birth_date = | birth_place = Israel | allegiance = {{flag|Israel}} | branch = Israel Defense Forces | rank = Colonel (reserves) | service_years = 1980s–2002 | commands = Chief Commander, IDF Technological Unit | other_work = Founder of Intellexa, Co-founder of Circles, Vice President of Stratasys | module = {{Infobox person | embed = yes | education = {{unbulleted list|B.A. in Political Science|LL.B. in Law|M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University}} }} }}
'''Tal Dilian''' ({{Langx|he|טל דיליאן}}) is the founder of Intellexa, a spyware supplying company, implicated in the 2022 Greek surveillance scandal, and a Colonel in reserves in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who served as Chief Commander of the army’s secret technology unit.
In 2024, Dilian was sanctioned by the U.S. government.<ref name=":0" /> In February 2026, he was convicted by a Greek court for his involvement in the illegal wiretapping of Greek government ministers, military officials, and journalists.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-26 |title=Greek court convicts Intellexa founder Tal Dilian, three others in wiretapping scandal |url=https://www.icij.org/investigations/cyprus-confidential/greek-court-convicts-intellexa-founder-tal-dilian-three-others-in-wiretapping-scandal/ |website=ICIJ |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Early life, education and career == Dilian enrolled in the IDF and volunteered in an elite Special Operations Unit after completing the basic training in the paratroopers unit. He then completed the officers' course and served in various commanding positions in the elite unit. Dilian also served in multiple positions in the Intelligence Corps headquarters. In 1994, he joined the Technological Unit of the Intelligence Corps and served as its commander from 1998 to 2002.<ref name="cv2">{{cite web |title=Tal Dilian's cv |url=https://conferences.braude.ac.il/IndustryAcademia2013/files/cv/CV-Dilian.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220814222309/https://conferences.braude.ac.il/IndustryAcademia2013/files/cv/CV-Dilian.pdf |website=Ort Braude Technological College |access-date=2021-10-19 |archive-date=2022-08-14 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> Following claims of irregularities in his unit, the military investigative police started an investigation against Dilian. His promotion was canceled, and he retired from the IDF in 2002. In 2005, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that all charges against him were dismissed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=רפפורט |first1=עמיר |title=מארב כוכב |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/534119958/Maariv-Star-on-Tal-Dilian-by-Amir-Rapaport-%D7%A8%D7%A4%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%98-%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%91-%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%91 |access-date=24 October 2021 |agency=Maariv |date=28 January 2005 |language=Hebrew}}</ref>
Dilian was among the founders of the Atidim<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atidim |url=https://atidim.org/en/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=Atidim}}</ref> project,<ref name="cv2" /> serving as CEO and now as a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Atidim Association. Dilian is also an advisor to the Daroma Tzafona<ref>{{Cite web |title=דרומה צפונה - סיוע למפעלי תעשייה |url=https://www.daroma-tzafona.org.il/ |access-date=2026-01-08 |website=www.daroma-tzafona.org.il |language=he}}</ref> association, which promoted the Israeli government’s project for developing the Negev area.<ref>{{cite news |last1=בסוק |first1=מוטי |title=היי דרומה |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/1.1074053 |work=הארץ |date=11 January 2006 |language=he}}</ref>
Dilian also worked as a consultant in the field of technology and headed the Board of Directors of multiple high-tech companies. He was a founding partner of start-up companies such as SolarEdge, Vidyo and others.<ref name="cv2" />
In 2011, Dilian and Boaz Goldman founded Circles. The company was sold in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |last1=אספריל |first1=שי |title=מי את, סירקלס? |url=https://www.calcalist.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3665623,00.html |website=כלכליסט - www.calcalist.co.il |language=he |date=30 July 2015}}</ref>
From 2015 to 2017, Dilian acted as the Vice President of Stratasys, a company that manufactures 3D printers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=David |title=Intellexa Founder Tal Dilian on the Importance of Insightful Data-Driven Intelligence for Modern Law Enforcement |url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/266194/20211004/intellexa-founder-tal-dilian-on-the-importance-of-insightful-data-driven-intelligence-for-modern-law-enforcement.htm |website=Tech Times |language=en |date=4 October 2021 |access-date=19 October 2021 |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015230505/https://www.techtimes.com/articles/266194/20211004/intellexa-founder-tal-dilian-on-the-importance-of-insightful-data-driven-intelligence-for-modern-law-enforcement.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Spyware Scandal== In 2019, Dilian founded Intellexa, a company that specializes in data gathering and analysis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intellexa - Official site |url=https://intellexa.com/ |access-date=2022-03-22 |website=intellexa.com}}</ref>
In November 2019, the Cyprus police confiscated a vehicle containing intelligence equipment worth $9 million belonging to the "WiSpear" company founded by Dilian, and in December arrested three employees of the company.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-12-19/ty-article/cyprus-police-arrest-3-employees-of-israeli-owned-firm-on-spying-charges/0000017f-f65f-d044-adff-f7ffc8c70000|title=Cyprus Police Arrest 3 Employees of Israeli-owned Firm on Spying Charges|newspaper=Haaretz |date=2019-09-12|access-date=2024-04-07}}</ref> The court claimed that the arrest was unjustified and ordered their release two days later.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5645989,00.html|title=קפריסין: שוחררו העובדים בחברה הישראלית שנעצרו בגלל "רכב ריגול"|newspaper=Ynet |date=2019-10-12|access-date=2024-04-07}}</ref> In November 2021, it was decided not to file charges against those involved after no findings of illegal activity were found on a personal level<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dialogos.com.cy/kataskopeytiko-van-apallachthikan-oi-treis-katigoroymenoi-me-odigies-genikoy-eisaggelea/|title=Κατασκοπευτικό βαν: Απαλλάχθηκαν οι τρεις κατηγορούμενοι με οδηγίες… Γενικού Εισαγγελέα|date=2021-11-16|access-date=2024-04-07}}</ref> but the company itself was fined 960 thousand euros for a series of privacy violations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.law.gov.cy/law/law.nsf|title=Νομική Υπηρεσία της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας}}</ref> In February 2022, the court in Larnaca also found the company guilty of a series of privacy, communications and customs offenses<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cylaw.org/cgi-bin/open.pl?file=apofaseised/poin/2022/3220220026.htm|title=ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ ν. WS Wispear Systems Limited, Υπόθεση Αρ.: 6839/21, 22/2/2022|date=2022-02-22|access-date=2024-04-07}}</ref> after a lengthy investigation in which it was revealed that the company illegally extracted information from wireless internet systems it was asked to install at Hermes airport.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.themarker.com/technation/2022-09-16/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/00000183-4062-d0e1-afef-466f6c9d0000|title=המסלול העוקף של נסיך הסייבר הישראלי|journal=TheMarker |date=2022-09-16|access-date=2024-04-07}}</ref> In October 2022, a Greek investigative journalist submitted a request to the prosecutor's office in Greece to investigate criminal suspicion against Dilian and the company.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/security/2022-10-06/ty-article/.premium/00000183-ac7e-d57e-a79f-ef7ecdb70000|title=סערת הרוגלה ביוון: תביעה לחקור חשד לפלילים של בכיר אמ"ן לשעבר ותאגיד הביון שלו|newspaper=הארץ |date=2022-06-10|access-date=2024-04-07 |last1=יעקב |first1=עומר בן }}</ref>
He and his partner Sara Alexandra Faisal Hammo, along with Intellexa, were sanctioned by the US Government on March 3, 2024.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-790354|title=US sanctions Israeli ex-intelligence officer, spyware CEO|publisher=The Jerusalem Post|date=2024-03-05|access-date=2024-04-06}}</ref>
== Education == Dilian holds a bachelor's degree in political science, another degree in Law, and a master's degree in business administration from Tel Aviv University.<ref name="cv2" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:People of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) Category:Tel Aviv University alumni Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dilian, Tal}}