Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Minister for Communication, Electronics, and Information, denied any snooping charges concerned with the Apple threat alerts received by various members of the INDIA (Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance) alliance.
While addressing the media, Vaishnaw said, “The government is concerned about this issue, and it will go to the bottom of it. We have already started a detailed investigation.”
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“I would also like to add that there are some compulsive critics in the country who have a habit of criticising (the government) over every issue. They do not want the country’s development,” he added.
Ashwini Vaishnaw further pointed out that Apple had said that its “threat notifications” had also been issued in 150 countries and that it can possibly be “false alarms”.
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Many leaders of the Opposition including TMK MP Mahua Moitra, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, and Congress Working Committee member Pawan Khera have claimed that the central government is trying to potentially ‘hack’ their phones and emails.
They received a message from Apple stating, “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.”
As of now, Apple has not released an official statement regarding the claims made by the Opposition leaders.