Technology is churning the world at alarming levels and taking us to unbelievable heights. Nonetheless, the time has come to evaluate whether technology is taking us for the better or the worse. For the past one week, a software technology is dominating the world news, more particularly India. Everyone is talking about Pegasus. Pegasus is dominating the winter session of the Indian parliament. Pegasus is entrenched in all aspects of society and spreading at a rapid pace pushing us to think where would the technology take us – an intriguing one.
Pegasus has made deep inroads into the polity and also in other facets too. If left unchecked, it is going pose serious challenges to India’s sovereignty and democracy. Pegasus has triggered serious concerns across the Indian society. Pegasus, an Israel-based NSO group, was founded in 2010. It is a spyware, primarily meant to be used for intelligence and security purposes by the defence forces. Pegasus is the most expensive software that charges $5,00, 000 as fee.
For installation, its charges are: 10 iPhones/Android costs about $6,50,000; $5,00,000 for 5 BlackBerry, and the fees vary for specific purposes and people who are to be targeted. Over and above, NSO charges additional annual fee as per the quantum and purpose. Usually, the contract is between Pegasus and nation-states. After the initial order with NSA, Pegasus would get into the business going after individuals by tracking their movements both verbal as well as physical.
Software vis-a-vis Pegasus can be slipped into the phones without the knowledge of the owners. It is so sophisticated that has all features in one. Perhaps the most expensive spyware. For installation, it costs about three crores. NSOs mission at the face value seem to be noble and laudable, but the user-value seem to be dubious and devastating. For example, the primary mission of NSO is to save the world by protecting everyone from terrorism, anti-social and anti-national activities.
It is ‘believed’ to help the elected governments from rebellion and revolution. And so, usually, this software is being procured by the defence and home ministries because it is meant for strategic, monitoring and surveillance purposes (both internal and external) aggressions, revolts and conflicts. Pegasus can filter and monitor incoming and outgoing calls. It can practically see through everything. It has many clients across the world who have brought the spyware.
NSA in its list has about 45 governments and 65 security agencies that have bought the technology of Pegasus. For instance, several French leaders including its President are among those potential targets under surveillance by spyware made by the Israel-based NSO Group. The Paris prosecutor’s office announced that it was going to probe the suspected use of the Pegasus spyware to target journalists, politicians and others.
Similarly, in India, politicians, chief ministers, opposition leaders, members in the judiciary, government agencies are under surveillance. whether the Government of India under the aegis of PM Modi belonging to the BJP used Pegasus to unseat governments belonging to other political parties? How many leaders have been snooped or listed in the hacking? In addition, questions such as: whether the current government at the Centre used Pegasus under the guise of “Operation Kamala” in 2019 toppling the Congress-JD (S)?
More and more question surface as to whether Pegasus used the software to topple governments in Manipur, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Pegasus is being used nowadays to target politicians, journalists, members of civil society and those who take on the governments (Centre and State) who raise critical questions against their policies and programs. The critical voices are under surveillance and wire-tapped. But, the government at the Centre denies and views it as anti-India campaign.
It calls the campaign as malicious and timely-programmed to destroy the image of India and the government. It further adds that those who are jealous of the ways the Government of India handled corona waves and efficacy of vaccination. GOI says that the current snooping scandal be considered as ‘rubbish’ and trying to soften the issue. One cannot rubbish the Pegasus as it has violated the right to privacy.
Perceptions vary from one to another. Some say Pegasus’s use of spyware is India’s ‘worst ever’ snoop scandal, while others say worse than ‘Watergate Scandal’. Even Jamal Khashoggi murder is linked NSO’s Pegasus. The killers with the help of Pegasus tracked Khashoggi’s movement and killed. Israel-based NSO group has infiltrated into India, and so, whether NSO gives a clean chit or not, it is riddled with a bundle of contradiction.
A simple question that surface in the minds of many is: whether the GOI acquired Pegasus from NSO or not? It becomes abundantly clear that only the governments can enter into contract with NSO to acquire Pegasus – in the name of “national security” and “surveillance” against internal and external threats. Nevertheless, the relationship between the supplier and the receiver is yet to be established. But, the GOI would go all out to rubbish, whatever the opposition says.
However, the pressure is mounting as many things concerning Pegasus involvement across the globe and more specifically the events that happened in India unfolds “possibilities”. Hundreds of people are its targets in the ‘snoop web’ of Pegasus. More importantly, NSO supplies the software Pegasus to the governments of the day, who eventually become the end-users. NSO supplies the software with an assumption that there would be legitimate or authorized surveillance and use of the spyware to protect and promote democracy.
After acquisition, leaders of the opposition, journalists, media personnel and critics of the government come under surveillance and spied upon. If this is the case, who is accountable and what then is the responsibility of NSO? The end-users, like GOI for example, had acquired Pegasus and with the help of it had spied and hacked the phones of those involved in promoting democracy setting the wrongs right, who should be held responsible?
If the State via GOI commits crimes and violates human rights against those who strive for justice and freedom using Pegasus, then who should be held culpable? How can NSO be brought under the loop? In the name of protecting ‘national security’, if the government and its agencies hack phones, monitor the movement of those who are critical of the government, then what is to be done? And how to go about? Buying the technology is not the crime, but for what purpose the government uses and for what purposes it is being used?
Treating people like monsters, terrorists and anti-nationals by using the spyware shall never be tolerated. Rogue state via the government can go to any extent to protect and promote its interests to acquire power by all means and at all costs. There are about or more 50,000 potential targets, which means that we are already under surveillance – ‘enough is enough’ and so, there should be an investigation/ probe at the highest level vis-à-vis Supreme Court of India.
Dr. John Mohan Razu