WhatsApp: Govt asks WhatsApp explain to Snooping privacy of citizens

The government today said it had asked WhatsApp to explain the breach of privacy of Indian users who were targeted by Israeli spyware earlier this year. It also said attempts to malign the government for the reported breach were completely misleading and "strict action" would be taken against those guilty of violating the law.

"The government of India is committed to protect the fundamental rights of Indian citizens, including the right to privacy. It is clarified that the government operates strictly as per provisions of law and laid down protocols. There are adequate safeguards to ensure that no innocent citizen is harassed or his privacy breached," the home ministry said in a statement.

At least two of the activists allegedly on the snoop list have alleged the role of the government, which has emphatically denied it.

The Israeli NSO, the cybersecurity company believed to have used the spyware, said, "Our technology is not designed or licensed for use against human rights activists and journalists" and is licensed only to "vetted and legitimate government agencies". Facebook has sued NSO, accusing it of using WhatsApp to spread malware.

Mr Prasad's statement came after WhatsApp confirmed that several Indian users had been targeted by Israeli spyware earlier this year in a hacking spree that included journalists, activists, lawyers and senior government officials. The journalists and activists are believed to have been spied on for two weeks in April. WhatsApp's parent company Facebook has sued Israeli cybersecurity company NSO alleging it used WhatsApp servers to spread malware to 1,400 users across 20 countries. Pegasus, a spyware developed by NSO, was used to break into the phones.

"The government of India is concerned at the breach of privacy of citizens of India on the messaging platform WhatsApp. We have asked WhatsApp to explain the kind of breach and what it is doing to safeguard the privacy of millions of Indian citizens,"Mr Prasad said.

"The government is committed to protecting the privacy of all Indian citizens. Government agencies have a well-established protocol for interception, which includes sanction and supervision from highly ranked officials in central and state governments, for clear stated reasons in national interest," said the minister.