Supreme Court quotes George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984: Pegasus Ruling

Israeli cyberarms firm, NSO Group, developed a spyware named Pegasus which can be covertly installed on most iOS and Android devices. NSO claims that it was built for the government’s use only in order to counter terrorism and enforce law properly.

Pegasus was discovered in August, 2016 after a failed installation attempt on the iPhone of an activist, led to an investigation revealing details about the spyware, its abilities, and the security vulnerabilities that it exploited. It was called the most sophisticated smartphone attack ever. This was the first time that a malicious remote exploit used jailbreaking to gain unrestricted access to an iOS device.

On October 27, the Supreme Court commissioned an independent panel to investigate the allegations of spying using Pegasus. The decision opened with a quote from English novelist George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen- Eight Four’, denounced the government’s refusal to disclose, on the grounds of national security.

The present batch of writ petitions, the court said, raise an Orwellian concern, about the alleged possibility of utilising modern technology “to hear what you hear, see what you see and to know what you do,” the order read.

The Orwellian account for dystopian future of a regimented state that elucidates a constant intelligence surveillance which the citizens were subjected to. “Big Brother is watching you”, the constant reminder given through all platforms.

After hearing a batch of 12 petitions that called for independent inquests into the Israeli NSO Group spyware i.e., Pegasus for the alleged illegal use. The cyber-weapon is proficient for hacking into the target’s smartphones and extracting the contents and controlling the microphone and camera.

Justice RV Raveendran, a retired judge of the Supreme Court is appointed to constitute a technical committee with the assistance of two experts and probe into the alleged abuse of the spyware. In July, international media houses’ report verified over 300 Indian mobile phone numbers, including important names of politicians and journalists. These were alleged potential targets of the Pegasus spyware.

The Court ensures that there will be unwavering efforts that shall uphold the constitutional spirit and not dissolve into political rhetoric.

Featured Image- Live Law