Developed by Israeli company NSO Group, Pegasus can read phone messages and emails. messages, view photos, secretly listen to calls, track location and even film the owner using the camera.
Watchdogs have recorded that the spyware, which is typically sold only to governments or security agencies, is being used widely once morest journalists and activists in dozens of countries, including India.
According to Amnesty International, the spyware was found on the iPhones of The Wire reporter Siddharth Varadarajan and Anand Mangnale of the International Center for Investigative Journalism (OCCRP).
“Journalists in India increasingly face the threat of illegal surveillance just for doing their jobs,” said Donncha O Cearbhaill, Head of Security at Amnesty International.
He added that the threat further negatively affects an already hostile environment for journalists, who also face “imprisonment under draconian laws, smear campaigns, harassment and intimidation”.
The Indian government did not respond to the report, which said the latest identified case of spyware use occurred in October.
In 2021, New Delhi was accused of using Pegasus to track journalists, opposition politicians and activists, and leaked documents showed that the spyware was used on more than a thousand Indian phone numbers.
Rahul Gandhi, the main political rival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was among the targets.
The government has denied wrongful surveillance, but has refused to cooperate with the Supreme Court in an investigation into the allegations, the findings of which have not been made public.
OCCRP, one of two organizations named in Thursday’s report, launched an investigation in August into the financial dealings of Indian tycoon Gautam Adani, a key business partner of Mr. Modi.
Earlier this year, the value of Mr. Adani’s conglomerate fell by more than $100 billion. USD (89.8 billion euros) following a US investment firm made allegations of financial fraud, which the Indian company dismissed as an organized smear campaign.
Mangnale told AFP he was targeted shortly following he sent questions to the Adani Group on behalf of the OCCRP.
“I can’t blame the Adani Group or the Indian government because we don’t have the evidence yet,” he added. “But the chronology itself is really telling.”
Varadarajan told The Washington Post that he was targeted because he resisted the arrest of a prominent news publisher in New Delhi.
Last month, local media reported that authorities were re-investigating allegations of wiretapping by opposition politicians following they reported receiving warnings from Apple regarding “state-sponsored attacks”.
India’s Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said the government was concerned regarding the complaints.
Activists point out that press freedom in the world’s largest democracy has declined under Modi.
Since he took office in 2014, India has fallen 21 places to 161 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index.
Journalists critical of the government say they face legal harassment and relentless online harassment campaigns.
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2024-07-18 12:54:37
