Fundamental rights of Indian people been damaged by Pegasus? Image Courtesy – DNA India
The prime question that is haunting every people of India currently is – have the fundamental rights of Indian people been damaged by Pegasus? The monsoon session of the Indian Parliament has been disrupted day after day with this burning issue. The Narendra Modi government has been facing this issue along with a series of issues like price hike of petrol, diesel, and LPG, the movement against farmers’ act, lack of vaccines in the country, principle of vaccination and pricing, etc.
Former Supreme Court Justice B N Srikrishna said, “The government is as much responsible for the surveillance of the phone as it is for Pegasus spyware and for the security of personal privacy that is being questioned across the country. This is an inconsistency under the Information Security Act.” B N Srikrishna is the father of India’s personal information protection bill.
In an interview with the national media, former Supreme Court Justice B N Srikrishna said, “The government is bound to abide by the Information Security Act as all non-governmental organizations fall under it. If that law is violated, the government will have to answer. If the government wants to get any information on the basis of special needs, then the rules have to be brought in the parliament according to the rules.”
It was known that the Pegasus spyware has taken over the information of the country’s most powerful political personalities and journalists. According to the report, the Israeli spyware was spying on around 300 verified Indian telephone numbers, including those related to law, industrialists, businessmen, government bureaucrats, and scientists. There were 40 numbers of journalists also on the list. There were also phone numbers of two Union Ministers.
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Justice Srikrishna raises the question of how the Pegasus scandal happens despite having strong data protection laws! In his words, “If there is legal activism, then the government is responsible for this incident. Because hacking this phone is not possible for any organization without the interest of the government. I think those who are victims of this issue should go to the Supreme Court and file a case. At least people should be informed about this. Confidentiality of information is a fundamental right of citizens.”
Cyber experts say that this Pegasus software was created in 2019. Then the malware was inserted in the mobile through WhatsApp video call. Secret information was then snatched by hacking the numbers of 1400 people. The malware was installed on the phone with a missed voice call on WhatsApp. But, now the main target of hackers is Apple’s messaging application.
Currently, iMessage of the iPhone is being targeted. The message is being sent by adding malware to the customer’s iPhone. Even if you don’t click that image, malware is being installed on the phone. Even if the customer deletes the message without opening it, this deadly malware continues to circulate in the phone system. It grabs all the information including pictures, videos, audios, call lists, messages, even passwords.
Phone calls were eavesdropped on in France using Israeli spyware Pegasus. A French government spokesman said that President Emmanuel Macron has taken this issue seriously. He called a national security meeting to discuss the Pegasus scandal. Justice B N Srikrishna also questioned why there was no such activism on the part of the Central Government of India.
An Israeli journalist claims that NSO, the maker of Pegasus, was not an innocent company at all. The NSO claims that they created the spyware to fight criminals and terrorists. But according to international media reports, the spyware was used to monitor the leaders of different countries. The NSO knowingly helped Saudi Arabia locate human rights activists, journalists, and protesters.
The NSO already declared – they sell their software to a country only if the national government wants it. Here, the Narendra Modi government has to confirm why and when they purchased it. If they purchased it, then where was the approval of the parliament?
The news organizations like The Washington Post, The Guardian, Suddeutsche Zeitung, and Le Monde were able to identify the owners of 1571 phone numbers across 10 countries. They were able to identify independently. They forensically examined a small cross-section of phones along with these numbers for the presence of Pegasus.
The Washington Post says in their July 18, 2021 issue, “Private Israeli spyware used to hack cellphones of journalists, activists worldwide”. The Washington Post also says, “NSO describes its customers as 60 intelligence, military and law enforcement agencies in 40 countries, although it will not confirm the identities of any of them, citing client confidentiality obligations. The consortium found many of the phone numbers in at least 10 country clusters, which were subjected to deeper analysis: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Citizen Lab also has found evidence that all 10 have been clients of NSO, according to Bill Marczak, a senior research fellow.”
So, it is confirmed that the central government of India has used this Pegasus spyware to utilize the information of various people. The Modi government should remember that surveillance of citizens has no place in a democratic country.
The people of India are waiting to see the response of the government.
Reference: The Wire, The Washington Post, The Guardian
