(Shreya Singhal is a lawyer. This column first appeared in the print edition of The Indian Express on July 23, 2021)
- It’s quite James Bond-esque; allegations of governments spying on their own people, questions being parried by prevarications, and the hyperbolic self-aggrandisement by a private company. What the NSO-Pegasus exposé has made amply clear, in case there was still any doubt, is that in the 21st century, it’s not merely about money or ammunition, but rather the real weapon, one of limitless potential and even greater propensity for harm — information. Information is power. There has not been an outright denial from either the Indian government or NSO that the Indian government is a client or uses the Pegasus software. The NSO has stated that only governments, specifically law enforcement and intelligence organisations, are its customers, and not private entities. But the software is designed to be insidious…
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