New Delhi— Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of India made accusations on Tuesday against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, alleging an attempt to breach the mobile phones of senior opposition politicians. This accusation surfaced after several lawmakers reported receiving warning messages from Apple.
Some of these lawmakers took to social media to share screenshots of notifications, which quoted Apple as saying, “Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID.”
In a press conference held in New Delhi, Mr. Gandhi responded, “Hack us all you want,” in reference to Prime Minister Modi. He affirmed, “But we (the opposition) will not stop questioning you. We are not scared. You can engage in as much phone tapping as you desire; I don’t care. If you want to take my phone, I will willingly provide it.”
The Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, expressed concern about the lawmakers’ statements and disclosed that the government had requested Apple to collaborate in their investigation.
Apple, in its response, clarified that it did not attribute the threat notifications to “any specific state-sponsored attacker.” The company noted that state-sponsored attacks have been evolving over time, making them challenging to detect accurately. The statement indicated that some threat notifications from Apple might be false alarms, or certain attacks might go undetected.
Jairam Ramesh, a spokesperson for Rahul Gandhi’s Congress party, labeled Apple’s clarification as a “long-winded non-denial” of a potential security breach.
The Indian government has thus far declined to address inquiries concerning the purchase of Pegasus spyware for surveillance by India or any of its state agencies.
BBC reported that federal ministers have dismissed these allegations, with one labeling them as “destructive politics.”
In 2021, India was embroiled in controversy when reports emerged that the government had employed Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to surveil numerous journalists, activists, and politicians, including Rahul Gandhi.
By agencies
