Apple Alert: More Than 15 Prominent Indian Opposition Politicians Alerted by Apple to Shocking State-Sponsored Cyberattacks

More than 15 well-known Indian leaders, including political opponents and journalists, have received threat alerts from Apple claiming that they were the targets of state-sponsored cyberattacks. The use of electronic surveillance by the Indian government against its domestic political opponents and critics has been resurrected due to this discovery.

Journalists and Opposition Politicians Are Singled Out

Members of Parliament from a number of opposition parties, such as the Indian National Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AP and the Trinamool Congress Party, shared screenshots of emails from the mobile company on social media to alert followers of attempts to hack their iPhones. The attackers who were supported by the state were still unknown.

When contacted by the BBC, Apple, however, denied that these threat notifications were associated with any particular state-sponsored entity. Ministers at the federal level rejected the accusations, labeling them as “destructive politics.” They did, however, pledge to look into the case more thoroughly.

Notable Persons Affected

Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena UBT, Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress, and Shashi Tharoor and KC Venugopal of the Congress party are among the notable individuals who received similar threat alerts. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, also attested to the fact that other employees in his workplace received notification of the warning.

The BJP’s minister of information technology, communications, electronics, as well as railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw, underlined the government’s dedication to safeguarding everyone’s security and privacy. He pointed out that a large portion of Apple’s information seemed vague and ambiguous, raising the possibility that the security alerts were based on inaccurate or partial data.

Apple’s Viewpoint

Apple, on the other hand, stressed that since its deployment in 2021, threat alerts have been sent out worldwide, not just in India. These messages have been issued to people in around 150 countries, an Apple representative said. Although Apple’s disclosures do not directly implicate the Indian government, they have come to light at a delicate moment for the multinational technology company.

As part of its plan to diversify its supply chain outside of China, Apple has been in talks with the Indian government about increasing its presence in that country. Chief Executive Tim Cook was present when the business established its first retail location in India in April. Since then, the company’s annual sales in the nation have significantly increased.

The Apple disclosures highlight the changing nature of the relationship between governments and technology firms, posing issues with privacy, surveillance, and the fine line that needs to be drawn in the digital era between security and individual liberties. As Apple and the Indian authorities investigate the ramifications of these security alerts, the situation continues to grow.

Article by Debanjana Talukdar

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