In 2017, the Indian government purchased the Israeli business NSO Group's spying program Pegasus. This software was purchased five years ago in a $2 billion defense transaction. India also purchased a missile system and other weaponry as part of this defense pact. This was exposed in a piece published by the New York Times in the United States.
The publication said that the US investigative agency Federal Bureau of Inquiry (FBI) had also purchased this software after a year-long investigation. The FBI evaluated it for home monitoring for years before deciding not to deploy it last year.
The paper explains how spyware was employed all across the planet. It was employed by the Mexican government against journalists and opponents, and it was utilized by the Saudi government against journalist Jamal Khashoggi and his companions who were critical of the royal family. Pegasus had been licensed for use in various nations, including Poland, Hungary, and India, by the Israeli Defense Ministry.
During Prime Minister Modi's visit to Israel in 2017, a defense agreement was inked.
In 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel. He was the first Prime Minister to visit Israel. During this time, a message was sent around the world indicating that India is shifting its stance on Israel. During this period, the two countries struck a defense pact for $ 2 billion. Pegasus is one among them.
A few months following PM Modi's visit, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to India. Following this, India voted for Israel in the United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2019. This was the first time India had given Israel precedence over Palestine.
A global coalition of media organizations disclosed in July 2021 that various governments throughout the world have deployed spyware to spy on political opponents and journalists. More than 40 journalists, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, political strategist Prashant Kishor, and the then-election commissioner Ashok Lavasa, were spied on in India.
What is Pegasus?
Pegasus is a type of spyware. Spyware is a term that refers to software that is used for spying or surveillance. Any phone can be hacked using this method. After the attack, the hacker has access to all of the phone's information, including the camera, microphone, messages, and calls. NSO Group, an Israeli firm, created this spyware.