Tharoor-led Parliamentary panel decides to take up WhatsApp ‘spying’ issue

Headed by Shashi Tharoor, committee meet got off to a stormy start; the matter was put to vote

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT), headed by Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, met on Wednesday and got off to a stormy start, with members being at odds over whether to take up the WhatsApp-Pegasus snooping issue.

Eventually, the matter was put to vote and the panel decided in favour of discussing the issue that involves snooping on 121 Indians. The meeting, which lasted over two and a half hours, took a political turn, with members taking sides, while the ruling alliance members were largely opposed to taking up the WhatsApp Spying issue. The voting on whether WhatsApp-Pegasus should be discussed ended in a tie. It was Tharoor’s vote in favour that ended the debate.

In May, WhatsApp became aware of NSO Group, an Israeli company, having used a coding glitch in the messaging app that let its customers spy on some people. The software developed by NSO Group for spying is called Pegasus. As many as 1,400 people were targeted by the spyware worldwide and 121 in India — most of them being activists and journalists.

On October 29, WhatsApp decided to sue NSO Group for misusing the messaging platform’s code to compromise user privacy. The issue has since taken a political turn, with the government asking WhatsApp to explain the breach of Indians’ privacy. The government has also come under some heat for not answering whether any of its agencies bought the Pegasus software….

WhatsApp snooping: Whom did you meet, Chhattisgarh Police ask Israel’s NSO

In May, WhatsApp has said it became aware of NSO Group having used a coding glitch in the messaging app that let its customers spy on some people

The Chhattisgarh Police has written to the Israeli company behind the Pegasus spyware that was used, according to recent revelations, to snoop on around 1,400 individuals, including 121 Indians, by misusing a WhatsApp vulnerability.

In a letter to Shalev Hulio, a co-founder of NSO Group, which developed and sells Pegasus, the police have asked for information on the Israeli firm’s alleged meeting and presentation to senior police officers of the state in 2017. According to news reports, the presentation was made to senior IPS officers in Raipur during 2017 (when an earlier government was in place). People in the state were allegedly subject to the snooping enabled by Pegasus through WhatsApp.

In the letter dated November 5, according to sources, the state police has asked NSO Group about particulars of their visit to Raipur, who was in their team, whom they met in the state police and details of the meeting.

The department is also considering writing to WhatsApp.

In May, WhatsApp has said it became aware of NSO Group having used a coding glitch in the messaging app that let its customers spy on some people. WhatsApp fixed the issue, and worked with Citizen Lab, a digital and human rights research group, to contact all those affected, telling them what they could do to keep their communications safe. On October 29, WhatsApp decided to sue NSO Group for misusing the messaging platform’s code to compromise user privacy.