NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2021) Indian Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw expressed the belief on Monday that there is in fact "no substance" behind reports about Pegasus software being used to spy on activists, journalists and opposition figures worldwide.
Earlier in the day, an international media investigation revealed that the software, developed by Israeli private firm NSO Group, was used to hack private phones of activists. According to Indian news outlet The Wire, which took part in the investigation, a majority of the phone numbers selected as targets were geographically concentrated in 10 country clusters, including India.
"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. And the time-tested processes in our country are well-established to ensure that unauthorized surveillance does not occur ... When we look at this issue through the prism of logic, it clearly emerges that there is no substance behind this sensationalism," Vaishnaw told the lower house of the Indian parliament.
The minister expressed the belief that the reports could be "an attempt to malign the Indian democracy and its well-established institutions."
Without subjecting a phone to technical analysis, it is not possible to state whether it witnessed an attack attempt or was successfully compromised, therefore, the report itself clarifies that presence of a number does not amount to snooping, Vaishnaw explained.
"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," Vaishnaw continued.
