STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND READ THIS!!!
One may be as shocked to see this headline as I was when I saw Edward Snowden tweeted this. He shared an article exposing ‘Pegasus Snoopgate’ that shooked the world.
Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International along with over 14 News agencies exposed this snooping of around 50,000 potential targets in the leaked list. In India, The Wire was leading this operation.
What is Pegasus Spyware?
Pegasus is a Spyware developed by NSO Group, an Israeli company that sells this spyware only to vetted governments. It costs millions to infect a phone which can be bought only by governments to snoop terrorists. NSO says that it sells its spyware for National Security reasons only and bans selling it to Governments which has the worst human rights records.
How does it work?
Pegasus spyware infects the target’s cellphone with zero-click (even if the target doesn’t click any malicious link). Then it shares all the call records, contacts, messages, screenshots and it can even hear what the target is speaking when the phone is nearby in idle condition and it can even turn the camera on and record a video.
It has a self-destruct mechanism that destroys itself if any command is not given for 60 days after that you cannot detect whether the device is infected with Pegasus Spyware or not.
What Danger Lies Ahead?
The Indians in the list had 300 numbers including the Cabinet Minister, Opposition parties leaders, political strategists, Constitutional Authorities like Supreme Court Judges and Chief Election Commissioner and reputed Journalists, Human Rights activists, Business Executives and Religious leaders, Scientists and Doctors.
But around the world, Governments targeted even other State Leaders (likes of French President Emanuel Macron spied by the Morrocan Government), Imran Khan and over 14 State leaders may be targeted. This is very much close to Cyber Warfare.
These are all High Profile people whose mobile devices are been hacked and snooped. Basic Human Rights of Privacy is been violated and this snooping is used to curtail the ‘Freedom of Thoughts and Expression’ both given in Articles 19 and 21 of the Indian Consitution.
If High profile people are vulnerable to Snooping and their privacy is violated, imagine the condition of a normal Indian Citizen.
Governments Response?
France was the first to start the probe whether the French President’s device is been hacked and the likes of any data had been stolen.
Hungary, Morocco, Algeria and Mexico all started their investigation whether Pegasus Spyware is Misused.
Israel has set up a commission to investigate the allegations and whether NSO Groups know that the spyware is misused.
In India, Parliamentary Committee For Information Technology is going to probe this issue.
What do we have to do as Indian Citizens?
Phone tapping is allowed in IT Act and Telegraph Act with checks and balances and certain protocols but hacking is illegal in India.
Unlike in the South African Constitution, the Right to Privacy is not explicitly mentioned in the Indian Constitution. It is derived from Article 21- Protection of Life and Personal Liberty.
This doesn’t come under the ambit of the ‘Data Protection Bill’ pending in Parliament. Certainly, the scope of this bill has to be broadened to include these surveillance reforms.
India needs much more than the Gold Standard of Data Protection, EU’s ‘General Data Protection Regulation’. Because India does not need only Data Protection of its Citizens but also Cyber Security.