BSP claims 'attack on democratic rights' over WhatsApp snooping row

Mayawati's BSP lambasted the BJP-led government over the WhatsApp snooping row and called it an  "attack on Constitutional and democratic rights." Party's spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria demanded a committee under the Supreme Court to be set up and presented before the country. 

"This is an attack on the citizen's Constitutional and democratic rights that need to be protected. There should be a committee and a white paper should be presented before the nation on the issue," BSP national spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria told ANI.  He further said, "A committee under the (observation of) Supreme Court should be brought in to protect the democratic rights of all citizens of this country."

Opposition leaders across the spectrum, including Congress, has dubbed the snooping on activists, journalists and political persons as illegal, alleging that the government acquired an Israeli software to spy on citizens. In a tweet, the senior Congress leader called out the "gross violation of human rights" and said that in case of the government's involvement in the act, it is a "scandal with grave ramifications on national security." The Facebook-owned company has filed a lawsuit against the  Israeli surveillance firm, the NSO group, used for spying on Indians in weeks before May 2019.

Congress' Rahul Gandhi took the government to task over the spying row by Facebook-owned company. The former Congress chief, who is currently on a meditation visit abroad, raked up Rafale row while addressing the controversy. "The government seeking WhatsApp's response on who bought Pegasus to spy on Indian citizens is like Modi asking Dassault who made money on the sale of Rafale jets to India," said Rahul Gandhi in a tweet. Even senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal sarcastically called out PM Modi's "open transparent government" over the alleged spying incidence.

READ| WhatsApp Spyware: Minister says govt 'committed to protect privacy'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the Centre should probe into the WhatsApp admitting that Indian journalists and human rights activists were spied upon by unnamed entities. She reiterated the allegation that her phone was being regularly tapped by the union government. She criticised the role of the central government in the snooping row and alleged it was totally aware of the security breach on the messaging platform.

The Trinamool supremo described the issue as "very serious" and said she will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the matter probed. "My phone is tapped, I know that because I have got the information and have the evidence with me. The government knows it because it is they who are doing it. This is happening at the behest of the central government and two-three state governments. I will not name the states but one is a BJP ruled state," she said.

"Where is our freedom of speech? Independence are we living in now that today we cannot even talk (freely over the phone). Even if we are talking, they are getting tapped and someone is listening to them," Banerjee told reporters. "Nothing is safe now, not even WhatsApp. Earlier, we thought WhatsApp can't be intercepted. But, now even WhatsApp has not been spared. Neither landline phones nor mobile phones are safe. There is total espionage going on (in the country). "This is a very serious matter. I will request the PM to investigate into the matter," Mamata Banerjee said.

WhatsApp snooping

WhatsApp has reportedly sued NSO Group which is an Israeli surveillance firm on October 29. The lawsuit has accused the firm of helping government spies hack phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents. The targets mostly included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists, and senior government officials. WhatsApp claims that the surveillance firm has violated American law in an “unmistakable pattern of abuse.” However, the group had said that NSO will stand against the dispute and fight all allegations. In a statement, NSO said that the company's purpose is to provide technology to licensed government intelligence and law enforcement agencies to help them fight terrorism and serious crime.

The hackers were able to install the surveillance software on phones of the targets on WhatsApp. According to reports, the target of the hack received audio or video calls from unknown callers, which is ignored, allowing the hacker to be installed in their mobile device. The Pegasus software-enabled hackers to access the details on the phone, including the text messages and location of the target. India, with 400 million users, is the biggest market for WhatsApp. 

READ| Israel Minister denies government involvement in NSO-WhatsApp spyware

The contentious software, Pegasus, that was meant for government use on a per-license basis stirred the political spectrum as the opposition mounted serious allegations on the government. However, the Cyber & Information Security (CIS) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that no information was given to purchase the Israeli spyware. In response to an RTI application, the Home Ministry as per reports said, "It is informed that no such information is available with the undersigned CPIO."

The spyware Pegasus came under scanner after it was reportedly used to snoop on slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia officials. 

(With agency inputs)