Tag: #pegasus scam

Project Pegasus: Unfolding The Cyber Spy

Project Pegasus has been in news for quite some time. Project Pegasus is an investigation about the Software Pegasus, in which 16 Media Institutes participated to expose the truth behind Pegasus. India is also one of the country whose name came out during the investigation. So What is Pegasus?

Pegasus is a spying software developed by an Israeli Technology Firm, NSO. According to NSO, the software is used to hack into the phones of their target and keep an eye on their every step. The data collected through this process can be sold to the government of a country and not to any individual or firm.

Pegasus recently became a hot topic not only in India but all around the world. It is not the first time Pegasus has came in news. But why is it highlighted now in India along with the whole world?  

Pegasus came in news after an investigation was done by 16 Media institutions from all around the world. This was initiated by a Not Profit Organisation from Paris along with Amnesty International. The project is called Project Pegasus.

Pegasus is known to infect the phone and can capture every single thing around the subject. It takes control over the phone and collects data about every single thing done by the subject. This software can be really useful to track down criminals and can be helpful to stop them. But is it really used for that?

The investigation in Project Pegasus revealed something else. The investigation revealed OVER 50,000 names that were either being tracked or were people of interest for any future assignment. In India, a list of 300 people was released. The list contains names of more than 40 journalists, 3 opposition Leaders, and two serving ministers. Former and Current Head of Security Organisation is also on this list. It is also said that the phone that was registered in the name of a serving Judge of the Supreme Court is also on the list.

 There has been no statement by the Indian Government on the issue and this can problematic. It is yet not clear if all the numbers in the list are hacked or not. It is concerning regarding privacy and the fundamentals of democracy.

It can be clearly termed as misuse of power and can have a bad effect on citizens. it is really important to take strict actions against it.

Pegasus project

Amnesty International calls the results of the Pegasus Project “false rumours.” Amnesty International stated on Thursday that it supports the Pegasus Project’s conclusions and that the data is “irrefutably connected” to possible targets of NSO Group’s Pegasus malware.

According to the human rights organisation, Amnesty never said that the leaked list precisely includes the numbers of people who were targeted by the Pegasus malware.

It stated that the “false rumours” being circulated on social media are meant to divert attention away from the Pegasus Project’s revelations of widespread illegal targeting of journalists, activists, and others.

“Amnesty International unequivocally supports the Pegasus Project’s conclusions, and believes that the data is inextricably connected to possible targets of NSO Group’s Pegasus malware. The false rumours being circulated on social media are designed to divert attention away from the extensive illegal targeting of journalists, activists, and others exposed by the Pegasus Project “According to a statement issued by Amnesty International.

A worldwide investigation published last week by 17 media organisations alleged that NSO-developed Israeli malware was used to target the phones of politicians, journalists, government officials, and human rights activists. 

Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based journalistic charity, and Amnesty International headed the partnership. According to The Wire, a member of the international consortium, the leaked list of “potential targets” for hacking included many prominent Indian names, including former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, BJP ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Prahlad Singh Patel, former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa, and poll strategist Prashant Kishor.