NEW DELHI: "What’s Wrong in Government Using Spyware to Track Terrorists and Enemies?"
The Supreme Court on Tuesday raised concerns about the government’s use of spyware to track terrorists and enemies of the country. The court, in a reference to the Pahalgam atrocity, emphasized the importance of security and safety.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Shyam Divan, and Dinesh Dwivedi flagged a US district court order to claim that WhatsApp had admitted to using Pegasus in India and other countries. They also requested the court to make public the Justice R V Raveendran committee report and seek the government’s response on whether it had bought the military-grade Israeli spyware.
In 2021, the Supreme Court set up a committee under Justice Raveendran to examine the use of Pegasus spyware. The committee informed the court that only a few people who claimed their phones were hacked by Pegasus had submitted their mobile phones for verification. It found no conclusive evidence of misuse but did find signs of suspected interception in a few cases.
The petitioners, including N Ram, John Brittas, and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, argued that the government had not denied using the spyware. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, maintained that sovereignty and security of the country could not be debated in court and accused the petitioners of using the forum for other purposes.
The bench stated that the US district court order was of little use as the Supreme Court had already passed a detailed judgment and submitted a report by the high-powered committee. They also clarified that they could not make the report public as it was not meant for public discussion.
The petitioners requested the court to redact sensitive information from the report and provide it to them for scientific examination. The bench reiterated that terrorists and those wanting to cause disturbance in the country could not claim the right to privacy.
The Supreme Court’s decision highlights the ongoing debate on the use of spyware and its implications for national security and privacy.
Reference : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/whats-wrong-in-use-of-spyware-to-track-terrorists-asks-sc/articleshow/120742802.cms
