The phones of some Indian opposition leaders recently received warnings from Apple that their phones were being hacked by the government. On this last Tuesday, the country’s politics became active. Apple has been served a notice by the Indian government denying the allegations.
Some leaders of various opposition parties in the country have accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to hack their phones.
Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Mahua Maitra from Krishnanagar in West Bengal initiated the complaint. In a post on social media X (formerly Twitter), she claimed that the Modi government was trying to hack his iPhone. A similar warning message came on his phone from the Apple Company. As evidence, he provided a screenshot of the message he received from Apple along with the post.
It says, ‘State-run hackers have targeted you. An attempt is being made to hack the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. Who are you, what do you do…maybe hackers have targeted you specifically’.
After making the same complaint, several other leaders posted screenshots of Apple’s warning message they received on social media. Among these leaders, one is Rahul Gandhi, one of the top leaders of India’s main opposition Congress party, Kolkata-based daily Ananda Bazar reported. Also, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Radda, Shiv Sena spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPM MP Sitaram Yechury and Congress leader Pawan Khera also made similar allegations.
In this context, the Union Information and Technology Ministry has asked Apple to provide proof of ‘state-sponsored hacking’. On Thursday, the ministry issued a notice to the Apple authorities asking them to respond quickly.
The notice said Apple was asked to respond to the basis of its claims of state-run hacking. Moreover, the Apple authority has been asked to argue in its defense that the sensitive information contained in the phone has been leaked in the remote control system.
