Multinational company Apple sent an alert to some opposition leaders that your iPhones can be hacked.
Attackers can also try to access your phone’s sensitive data, cameras and microphones etc.
Apple has sent this alert not only to opposition leaders but also to people who are not in public life.
This alert has also reached some journalists and scholars. This alert has also been sent to 150 countries where Apple iPhones are used.
It is clear that this warning is global, hence the shouting of the opposition leaders is just politics.
Apple has also clarified in its statement that such alerts come on the basis of intelligence signals, which may prove to be incomplete and even wrong.
The company has talked about government-sponsored attackers, but has not identified any ‘specific government’.
Apple has denied that the system deals with such hacking threats. The company cannot even tell under what circumstances the alert had to be given, because by giving this information hackers can find ways to avoid it.
That means it is clear that phone hackers could be from China, Pakistan or any other country!
Apple has sent this warning message to opposition leaders and 150 countries at the same time, hence it seems suspicious and questionable.
If hacking has taken place or is being done, it must have been done at different places and at different times.
Still, we can accept that the Modi government has hacked the phones of some opposition leaders and spokespersons, but what could be the government’s concern in hacking the phones of 150 countries and non-political faces?
What will be gained from it? More than 2 crore people use iPhone in India and there are about 146 crore users worldwide.
Are all of them the target of Modi government or was an alert sent to everyone? Apple should give various clarifications in this regard.
However, as per the announcement of Union Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, investigation has been started. Apple will also be under investigation.
Apple has been asked to provide factual and accurate information on alleged ‘state-sponsored attacks’.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) will investigate and try to get to the bottom.
The minister has termed it a conspiracy to defame the Government of India and the politics of opposition to divert attention.
‘Phone theft’ is not a new issue. There is no attack on anyone’s privacy and confidentiality.
The discussion about spying software purchased from Israel is once again becoming vocal. However, nothing concrete came to light in the investigation which is conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
Then the apex court had also given the option to deposit their respective phones with the government, so that an internal investigation could be done whether they were spied on or not.
Then Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also did not submit his phone. Today again old, immature statements are being repeated.
The question is, what could be the role of Adani in the context of phone hacking? Who has Rahul Gandhi called ‘parrot’? Did Adani not do business during the tenure of Congress governments? Were they not given contracts?
The country should ask such questions to the Congress leaders. In fact, among those whose phones have been accused of burglary, most of the faces are politically irrelevant or have been accused.
What will Modi government gain by hacking their phones? It is also not in a position to give a political challenge to the BJP. If there is anything concrete in Apple’s warning message, the opposition should have filed an FIR instead of a press briefing.
