Govt asks WhatsApp to explain snooping, hits back at Opposition criticism
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government has asked WhatsApp to explain the kind of breach and what it is doing to safeguard the privacy of millions of Indian citizens.
The government on Thursday asked WhatsApp to explain the snooping scandal after the Facebook-owned messaging app confirmed that Indian human rights activists and journalists were among those targeted by the Israeli spyware in a hacking spree. The government also asked WhatsApp what it was doing to safeguard the privacy of millions of Indian citizens.
Taking to Twitter, Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government "is concerned at the breach of privacy of citizens of India on the messaging platform WhatsApp".
The union minister said, "The government is committed to protecting the privacy of all Indian citizens. The government agencies have a well-established protocol for the interception, which includes sanction and supervision from highly ranked officials in central and state governments, for clearly stated reasons in the national interest."
Reacting to the Congress's attack on the Narendra Modi government, the government hit back at the party, bringing up the former President Pranab Mukherjee's office bugging incident when he was the finance minister in the UPA regime in 2011.
After the WhatsApp snooping scandal emerged, the Congress alleged the Modi government was "caught snooping" and urged the Supreme Court to hold the Centre accountable over the issue.
"Modi Govt caught snooping! Appalling but not Surprising! After all, BJP Govt- 1. Fought against our right to privacy. 2. Set up a multi crore Surveillance Structure until stopped by SC. SC must take immediate cognisance and issue notice to BJP government," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet.
Hitting back at the Congress, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Those trying to make political capital out of it need to be gently reminded about the bugging incident in the office of the then eminent Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee during UPA regime. Also a gentle reminder of the spying over the then Army Chief Gen VK Singh."
Back in 2011, the Manmohan Singh government got embroiled in a controversy after the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee alleged that his finance ministry offices were bugged. In a letter to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee said there was an adhesive-like substance in his office that might have been used to plant electronic listening devices.
In General VK Singh’s case, his family had in 2013 alleged a bugging attempt at his residence after a Major entered their Mandir Marg residence to remove the Army telephone exchange after his retirement.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA has also clarified on WhatsApp spyware controversy, calling it "misleading".
The Home ministry, in a statement, said, "Some statements have appeared based on reports in media regarding breach of privacy of Indian citizens on WhatsApp. These attempts to malign the Government of India for the reported breach, are completely misleading."
Further, the statement read: "The Government of India is committed to protect the fundamental rights of citizens including the right to privacy; and strict action against any Intermediary responsible for breach of privacy. It is clarified that Government of India operates strictly as per provisions of law and laid down protocols. There are adequate safeguards to ensure that no innocent citizen is harassed or his privacy breached."