BJP draws link between Apple's hacking row to George Soros
The controversy surrounding Apple's warnings about state-sponsored attacks on the devices of opposition leaders and journalists does not appear to be dying down. In a tweet, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) IT Cell head Amit Malviya has now suggested a connection between Apple alerts, Access Now, and American billionaire George Soros. Although the Centre labeled the claims as "vague," it assured to conduct an investigation. Earlier, several BJP leaders attacked opposition leaders, calling it an attempt to malign the government.
Why does this story matter?
BJP leaders had previously dubbed Soros a foreign power who tries to interfere in India's democratic processes after he commented on the Adani-Hindenburg row. After American short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the Adani Group of "the biggest stock manipulation and fraud in corporate history," Soros said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to answer to foreign investors and Parliament. In the wake of the Pegasus snooping scandal in 2021, Apple's purported warning has reignited concerns about government surveillance.
Rahul Gandhi rushed to hold press conference: Malviya
The warning notification sent by Apple advised the targeted individuals to seek expert help from the Digital Security Helpline provided by the nonprofit Access Now. Malviya made the claims based on a thread that alleged that Access Now was funded by Soros. He said, "Rahul Gandhi dropped everything and rushed to hold a press conference. See the sinister plot here?" The thread draws links between the "anti-Indian online portal" The Wire and the "left-leaning" digital rights advocacy group Access Now.
Here's the thread Malviya quoted to claim Soros link
Don't attribute attack to any specific state-sponsored attacker: Apple
The politicians who received the notifications included Mahua Moitra, Shashi Tharoor, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Raghav Chadha, Akhilesh Yadav, and Pawan Khera, along with journalists Siddharth Varadarajan of The Wire, Sriram Karri of Deccan Chronicle, Observer Researcher Foundation's Samir Saran, and independent scribe Revathi. As the issue gained traction, Apple issued a statement saying that it "does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker" and added that "the notifications may be false alarms."
Apple sent threat notifications to 150 countries: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned Gandhi's apprehension about the iPhone hacking notifications, claiming that Apple sent alerts to 150 countries. He asked, "Why is Rahul Gandhi worried about receiving it? If you are this worried, then you should file an FIR." Prasad also highlighted that during the Pegasus incident, the Supreme Court formed a committee and requested individuals who believed their phones were affected by Pegasus to submit their devices, but Gandhi lacked the courage to comply.
Centre didn't cooperate with Pegasus probe: Supreme Court
While the government said it was committed to upholding privacy, the Supreme Court reportedly said in August last year that the Centre did not cooperate with the investigation into the Pegasus spyware cases. The SC-appointed panel also found evidence of spyware on at least five out of the 29 devices examined. However, the government refused to make a statement on the probe, despite the top court categorically asking for it several times.
