Govt Seeks Explanation From WhatsApp On Breach, Says Committed To The Privacy Of Citizens Of India
Mumbai: In another development, the center asked WhatsApp to clarify, seeking clarification after the messaging platform informed several Indian users this week that they had been targeted by Israeli spyware Pegasus earlier this year.
Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted on Twitter that the government is concerned with violating the privacy of citizens of India on WhatsApp and has sought a detailed explanation from the messaging platform.
“We have asked WhatsApp to explain the kind of breach and what it is doing to safeguard the privacy of millions of Indian citizens,” he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/rsprasad/status/1189867398662213632?s=19
Prasad claimed that some people were trying to take political advantage from the issue. Those who tried to remind him of the incident in the office of the then eminent Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the UPA regime need to be reminded that the spying of then Army Chief General VK Singh is also reminded,” he said.
The government is committed to protecting the privacy of all Indian citizens, he said, adding that government agencies have a well-established protocol for the interception, with high-ranking officials in the central and state governments for reasons clearly stated Approval and supervision is included. In the national interest.
Also Read: To Prevent Pegasus Attack, Whatsapp Asks Users To Install The Latest Version Of App
The Union Minister said that these are examples of violations of the privacy of highly reputable persons for “personal whims and fictions of a family”.
According to reports, Facebook-owned company WhatsApp recently revealed that journalists and activists in India have targeted surveillance by operators using the Israeli spyware Pegasus. The messaging platform said it had reached out to those who were targeted, but declined to identify the “exact number” of those who were targeted.
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