Pegasus, a spyware tool which has been developed by an Israeli firm, the NSO Group is once again in the news for its controversial features. This time controversial BJP MP Subramanian Swamy who is known for his controversial statements. on Sunday tweeted that Pegasus could have also been used to tap the phones of ministers in the Narendra Modi government, RSS leaders and SC justices. Swamy claimed there was a rumour that western media outlets would publish a report exposing this.
Swamy tweeted, "Strong rumour that this evening IST, Washington Post & London Guardian are publishing a report exposing the hiring of an Israeli firm Pegasus, for tapping phones of Modi’s Cabinet Ministers, RSS leaders, SC judges, & journalists. If I get this confirmed I will publish the list." In October 2019, WhatsApp said it was suing NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance firm, that was behind the technology for Pegasus, which was used by spies to hack into phones of roughly 1,400 users around the world. In India too, some time ago there were reports of its use to trap the phones of journalists and social workers. On the controversy that arose then, the company had clearly said that their software is only for government use.