The Indian government recently targeted high-profile journalists using Pegasus spyware, Amnesty International and The Washington Post say in a joint investigation released Thursday.
“Journalists in India are increasingly at risk of illegal surveillance simply for doing their work, as well as other means of repression, such as detention under draconian laws, hate campaigns, harassment and intimidation,” said Donncha O Cearbhaill, head of Amnesty's security laboratory.
The report discusses the cases of journalists Siddharth Varadarajan (The Wire) and Anand Mangnale (The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project), whose analysis of iPhones revealed traces of the presence of Pegasus.
The attack dates back to October 2023 to Siddharth Varadarajan, who was also found to have been attacked by the spyware back in 2018, the NGO said.
The Indian government did not immediately respond, but New Delhi in 2021 denied allegations that it had used Pegasus to monitor political opponents, activists and journalists.
In 2021, 17 international media outlets revealed that Pegasus software developed by Israeli company NSO was used to spy on the phones of hundreds of politicians, journalists, human rights activists and business leaders. Companies around the world.
Last month, Indian media reported that the country's cybersecurity services were investigating allegations of wiretapping by opposition politicians who had received a warning from Apple about “state-sponsored attackers.”
Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister in charge of electronics and information technology, said at the time that the government was “concerned” about the complaints.