What the WhatsApp spying reveals

On Thursday, The Indian Express reported that an Israeli spyware, Pegasus, was used to spy on journalists, activists, lawyers and politicians in India. Owned by the NSO group, Pegasus was deployed to target the WhatsApp messaging service of select individuals and gain access to their entire phone data . WhatsApp has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in the United States against NSO. The disclosure triggered further revelations in India. It appears that activists and lawyers involved with the Bhima Koregaon case, those in Chhattisgarh who track the Maoist conflict, and diplomatic journalists were among the primary targets.

This is a disturbing development for several reasons. For one, it is outright illegal. India has standard protocols for phone interception when the government comes to a considered conclusion that surveillance of an individual implicated in crime or terrorism is needed. No other form of surveillance is justified under the law. Two, it reveals the perils of everyday technology, at a time when the mobile phone has become an indispensable tool in people’s lives.