BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • News
      • No Proposal To Ban Pegasus Maker...
      News

      No Proposal To Ban Pegasus Maker 'NSO group': Centre To Parliament

      This is at least the third instance where the Centre has had to respond to the Pegasus issue.

      By - Ritika Jain |
      Published -  4 Dec 2021 6:56 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      No Proposal To Ban Pegasus Maker NSO group: Centre To Parliament

      There is no proposal for banning Israeli-based spyware firm 'NSO group', the Centre told the Parliament on Friday. The Centre also said it did not have any information on whether the United States of America (USA) has blacklisted NSO Group and Candiru—a cybersecurity firm, for providing a military-grade spyware Pegasus, which has been used to maliciously target journalists, embassy workers and activists.

      Chandrashekar was responding to a query posed by Samajwadi Party MPs Vishambhar Prasad Nishad and Sukhram Singh Yadav in the Rajya Sabha.

      Pegasus, military-grade spyware developed by the NSO Group, was allegedly used to target union cabinet ministers, government critics, Supreme Court (SC) judge (who has since retired), SC staffers and businesspersons. According to NSO Group, the spyware was provided to "vetted governments" only.

      Earlier this year, The Wire—along with a consortium of international publications—released a series of reports under the 'Pegasus Project' outlining the alleged use of Pegasus to spy on civilians, government critics and heads of state among others. However, Pegasus first came to the limelight in 2019 after WhatsApp sued NSO Group in a US federal court in San Francisco accusing them of targeting some 1,400 WhatsApp users with the spyware. At the time, Facebook-owned WhatsApp had said some journalists and human rights activists were also targets of surveillance.

      In a blow to the NSO Group, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on November 9 rejected its claim seeking foreign sovereign immunity allowing Facebook-owned WhatsApp to pursue its lawsuit against the spyware company. This means NSO Group will now have to comply with 'discovery'—a pre-trial stage where one or both parties can obtain evidence through discovery devices such as interrogations, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions and depositions.

      In response to the Pegasus Project, several countries have also initiated probes over the alleged illegal use of Pegasus against their citizens. Last month in November, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted NSO Group and Candiru and added them to the list of foreign establishments that engage in malicious cyber activities.

      Also Read: SC Appoints Expert Committee To Probe Allegations Of Pegasus Snooping

      At least the three instances where the Pegasus issue came up in Parliament

      The opposition has raised the Pegasus issue in the Parliament on at least three instances. Earlier this year in July, Union Minister of Information and Technology Ashwani Vaishnaw ducked a pointed question on whether the Centre authorised the use of Pegasus against its citizens and instead had said that the Pegasus Project was "sensational", and an attempt "to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions".

      In fact, the Monsoon session—which ended two days before schedule—was a washout because of the opposition's demand for a debate on Pegasus.

      Vaishaw's predecessor Ravi Shankar Prasad too ducked the Opposition's query during the Parliament's Winter Session in 2020 and said that there was no unauthorised spying to the "best of my knowledge".

      In fact, when issue of the spyware's alleged illegal use came up before the Supreme Court, the Centre abstained from filing a reply. Despite getting repeated chances, the Centre had told the top court that it was not going to file a detailed affidavit in the Pegasus matter. The use of the software, or the lack thereof, cannot be a subject matter of debate in public discourse, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had submitted. We will constitute a committee of domain experts who are unconnected with the government to probe the matter, Mehta had said.

      The Supreme Court on October 27 appointed a three-member committee to probe into the allegations of alleged use of Pegasus against Indians.

      Also Read: 40 Indian Journos In Leaked List Of Potential Targets Of Pegasus Snooping


      Tags

      PegasusNSO GroupRajya SabhaMinistry of Electronics and ITParliament of India
      Read Full Article
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!