Apple Alert: Threat Notifications Strike at Heart of Indian Democracy, Says Apar Gupta
New Delhi: As the list of Opposition leaders, journalists and others, going public about getting Apple alerts of their iPhones, warning about ‘State-sponsored attack’ possibilities, Apar Gupta, and advocate and founder director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, has called for full disclosure by the Indian government of its spyware purchases and deployment.
“This issue strikes at the heart of Indian democracy,” he said, noting the fact that the timing of these notifications, ahead of the ensuing Assembly elections was indeed “alarming”.
On Tuesday morning, several Opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc tweeted on X scheenshots of Apple alerts, cautioning them against ‘State-sponsored attacks” on the iPhones. Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor, K C Venugopal and Pawan Khera, Samajwadi party’ chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP’s Supriya Sule, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra , Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, senior journalists Siddharth Varadarajan and Sriram Karri are among those who received the Apple alerts.
Read Also: Pegasus: Supreme Court Says Right To Privacy Must be Protected
Read the full X post by Apar Gupta on the threat notifications and their implications for India’s democracy ahead of the elections:
“These threat notifications are due to state sponsored attacks that use spyware such as Pegasus to infect their smartphone. As per Apple, “Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by state-sponsored attackers. These users are individually targeted because of who they are or what they do. Unlike traditional cybercriminals, state-sponsored attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices, which makes these attacks much harder to detect and prevent. State-sponsored attacks are highly complex, cost millions of dollars to develop and often have a short shelf life....State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated, and their attacks evolve over time. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete. It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected.”
Let me directly address the naysayers. Are these merely 'false alarms'? Let's consider the evidence:
Firstly, reports indicate that India has been a ground for deploying Pegasus spyware by NSO Group, an Israeli firm. In October, 2019, state attackers targeted activists, and in July, 2021 they extended their reach to public officials and journalists.
The Union Government has not clearly denied these activities in the Supreme Court of India. Moreover, investigations by Amnesty, Citizen Lab, and notifications from WhatsApp corroborate its use, suggesting a pattern in India and a matching victim profile.
Secondly, Access Now and Citizen Lab last month have confirmed the validity of Apple's threat notifications sent to Russian journalists, including Meduza's publisher. These confirmations lend high credibility to such notifications.
Thirdly, Financial Times disclosed in March that India is seeking new spyware contracts starting at approximately $16 million and potentially escalating to $120 million in the next few years. These contracts involve companies like the Intellexa Alliance, recently featured in a report called 'The Predator Files'.
With imminent state assembly elections and the 2024 general elections not far off, the timing of these threat notifications is alarming.
Public cynicism or judicial stupor should not preclude us from demanding an independent, transparent technical analysis and clear disclosures from the Government of India regarding its spyware purchases and deployments. This issue strikes at the heart of Indian democracy.”
Opposition Leaders Say They got Apple Alert on ‘State-Sponsored Attacks' on iPhones
Representational image. | Image courtesy: Pexels
New Delhi: At least four Opposition leaders on Tuesday claimed to have received messages from Apple warning them of "state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise" their iPhones and posted the purported screenshots on their X (formerly Twitter) handles.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress' Lok Sabha Member Shashi Tharoor and his party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera shared the screenshots on X.
PTI reached out to Apple for comments on the matter but there was no immediate response.
"Received text and email from Apple warning me that the government trying to hack into my phone and email. @HMOIndia -- get a life. Adani and PMO bullies - your fear makes me pity you," Moitra said sharing the screenshots. Tagging Chaturvedi to the post, she claimed that three other leaders of the opposition INDIA alliance have received similar messages.
Chaturvedi also shared a similar screenshot which she claimed to have received from Apple and said, "Wonder who? Shame on you. Cc: @HMOIndia for your kind attention".
Replying to Moitra's post, she said, "So not just me but also @MahuaMoitra has received this warning from Apple. Will @HMOIndia investigate?" Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor also shared a post about him receiving a similar message.
"Received from an Apple ID, threat-notifications@apple.com, which I have verified. Authenticity confirmed. Glad to keep underemployed officials busy at the expenses of taxpayers like me! Nothing more important to do?" he said on X, tagging the Prime Minister's Office, the Congress, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.
Khera also shared a screenshot of a similar message on X and said, "Dear Modi Sarkar, why are you doing this?" The message shared by the MPs stated, "ALERT: State-sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone".
"Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID. These attackers are likely targeting you individually because of who you are or what you do. If your device is compromised by a state-sponsored attacker, they may be able to remotely access your sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone. While it's possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously," it stated.
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