When a number of opposition figures claimed to have received warnings from Apple about “state-sponsored attackers” attempting to breach their iPhones and charged that the government was hacking, a furor broke out. The administration refuted the accusations and promised a comprehensive probe into the situation.
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw denied the accusations made by a number of opposition politicians on Tuesday, stating that they were the target of an Apple alert alerting them to “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones. The minister also promised a comprehensive investigation into the issue.
Congressman Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Supriya Shrinate, TS Singhdeo, and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, MP Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and General Secretary Sitaram of the CPI(M) were among those who got similar notices.
India will look into charges made by legislators from the major opposition party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that they got messages from Apple Inc. warning of potential state-sponsored attempts to hack their iPhones.
Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on X, previously known as Twitter, on Tuesday that the Indian government “takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications.”
What is understood regarding the ‘hacking’ alert row involving Apple is as follows:
1. Mahua Moitra stated she would be writing to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing worries over the matter and requesting action, while Sitaram Yechury and Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
2. Rahul Gandhi criticized the government during a news conference, declaring, “We are not scared.” I don’t mind if you tap on the phone as much as you like. I can offer you my phone if you would like to have it.”
3. Bringing up the Adani controversy, the Gandhi scion declared, “Amit Shah is number three, Adani is number one, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is number two in the nation.” Adani has Narendra Modi’s soul. In actuality, someone else holds the reins of authority. Spying by spy agencies begins as soon as Adani is touched.”
4. The president of the think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Samir Saran, an OSD of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of The Wire, were among the others who received identical notifications.
5. Leaders of the opposition said the administration was undermining democracy. “Happy to keep unemployed bureaucrats occupied at taxpayers’ expense, including myself! Is there anything more crucial to do? Tweet from Shashi Tharoor.
6. Akhilesh Yadav expressed worry that “privacy and freedom are being harmed in a democracy” during a Lucknow rally.
7. The IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the administration, claiming that the “compulsive critics” were engaging in “distraction politics” because they were unable to accept the nation’s advancement under PM Modi’s direction. On the other hand, he gave the assurance that the government “will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications”.
8. The Union Minister, addressing the media in Bhopal, stated that Cert-In, the national nodal body for handling computer security events, will handle the highly “technical kind of investigation.”
9. According to MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Apple sends such “threat notifications” to users in more than 150 nations.
“We take seriously our government’s obligation and commitment to safeguarding the privacy of our citizens. He said on X, “The government will look into these danger alerts as well as Apple’s assurances that their products are safe and privacy-compliant.
