Apple warning ‘State-sponsored attackers’: Rahul Gandhi hits out at Modi govt, says not afraid of phone tapping

“All Opposition leaders get notice that said ‘Apple believes you are being targeted by state sponsored attackers’. All guys in our office got it. KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Sitaram Yechury, Priyanka Chaturvedi, TS Singh Deo, Mahua Moitra, Raghav Chaddha got the same notice… You can tap (phones) as much as you want. I don’t care. If you want, I can give my phone to you. We are not afraid. We are fighting,” Gandhi said at a press conference in Delhi.

The Congress leader also said that the Modi government’s “soul” is in the hands of the Adani Group.

Adani is above Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, added Gandhi.

Reiterating his allegations that “the PM works for Adani”, Gandhi said: “BJP govt and the BJP’s financial system is directly linked with Adani.” 

Several opposition leaders claimed on Tuesday that they have received an alert from Apple, warning them of “State-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones and alleged hacking by the government, a charge Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw rejected but ordered a thorough probe.

Apple has warned the politicians that if their devices are compromised by a “State- sponsored attacker”, they might be able to remotely access their sensitive data, communications or even the camera and microphone.

“While it’s possible this is a false alarm, please take this warning seriously,” Apple warned in the mail shared by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on X.

On August 23, the tech giant said on its website that Apple threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by State-sponsored attackers.

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Updated: 31 Oct 2023, 08:22 PM IST