In the midst of the election season, another snooping scandal reflecting new age authoritarianism recently hit the country, raising questions over the conduct of the NDA government. Following the Pegasus surveillance scam, which left many questions unanswered, another unsavory episode was reported. This time, it targeted the iPhones of opposition leaders, journalists, and social activists who all received a notification from Apple warning them about ‘state-sponsored’ attackers remotely trying to compromise their phones. An alarming aspect of the threat notification is that snoopers are likely targeting these individuals based on who they are or what they do. In other words, the critics of the government come under the surveillance radar.
The breach of the right to privacy and data vulnerability is now back in focus, with several opposition leaders raising the hacking alarm after receiving messages on their iPhones. Though these warning messages are not unique to India but have been issued globally, the seriousness of the matter cannot be overlooked. Such attacks differ significantly from those carried out by regular cybercriminals, who usually target a large number of users for financial gain. At present, there is no judicial oversight of the government’s surveillance operations. There isn’t even a parliamentary oversight, which is unusual for a country that takes pride in its democratic values. Privacy is not solely the concern of journalists or social activists but of every citizen.