IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said there is no substance behind the sensationalism of alleged use of spyware Pegasus to compromise phone data and privacy of important personalities including journalists and activists.
In a statement which laid in Rajya Sabha on “Alleged use of spyware Pegasus to compromise phone data of some persons as reported in Media on 18th July 2021,” the Minister said, “when we look at this issue through the prism of logic, it clearly emerges that there is no substance behind this sensationalism.”
“The publisher of the report states that it cannot say if the numbers in the published list were under surveillance. The company whose technology was allegedly used has denied these claims outrightly,” he said.
“The time-tested processes in our country are well-established to ensure that unauthorised surveillance does not occur,” he said.
In the past, similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp. Those reports had no factual basis and were categorically denied by all parties, including in the Supreme Court. The press reports of 18th July, 2021 also appear to be an attempt to malign the Indian democracy and its well established institutions, he said.
The minister also said “NSO has also said that the list of countries shown using Pegasus is incorrect and many countries mentioned are not even our clients. It also said that most of its clients are western countries. It is evident that NSO has also clearly rubbished the claims in the report."
(Published 22 July 2021, 17:22 IST)
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