Mahua Moitra Writes To Lok Sabha Speaker Over Apple Security Alert
Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday wrote a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on the alleged hacking messages received in the Apple devices of opposition leaders including her. The leaders shared the purported screenshots of the message received on their devices.
On Tuesday, opposition leaders including Moitra, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Raghav Chadha, Shashi Tahroor, Pawan Khera and Sitaram Yechury received alerts from Apple about “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their devices.
In the letter to Birla, Moitra said that the opposition leaders received a message informing that they were “being targeted by state-sponsored attackers” who were attempting to remotely compromise their devices and access data, communication and “even the camera and microphone”.
“This threat is doubly shocking in light of the Pegasus software (sold only to governments) that was used to compromise the devices of various members of the Opposition, dissenting journalists and members of civil society during 2019-2021. In spite of the Opposition raising this issue in the House, no debate was allowed and no conclusive report has been filed by any agency,” Moitra added.
She said in her letter that international organisation like Access Now and Citizen Lab in September has confirmed the validity of Apple”s threat notification and lend it enormous credibility. She added that in the march 2023 reports of Financial Times stated that the Indian government is potentially escalating its budget for spyware contracts to USD120 million involving companies like Intellexa Alliance, featured in a report on government spying called “The Predator Files”.
She then lashed out on government for using software for illegal surveillance as it is considered as attack on fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. She then claimed that for the past few year, the opposition MP”s and voices of the dissent has been targeted. Moitra has also alleged that the government has misused central agencies and majoritarian force to repeal, amend, and create laws empowering the government to muzzle dissent.
She then urged the Lok Sabha speaker to immediately provide protection to the opposition leaders for them to continue doing their duties.
“I trust you will treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves and seek accountability from the concerned authorities into this flagrant breach of law, Constitutional freedoms, and our rights as Members of Parliament,” she added.
