New Delhi reports reveal that the Pegasus spyware program was used to monitor journalists and other public figures at a high level. Amnesty International and the Washington Post have shared new details about privacy violations affecting India’s citizens. The investigation highlights a pattern of intrusive surveillance targeting voices across media and civil society, raising serious questions about accountability and safeguards for personal data.
Towards the end of October, discussions emerged suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist government may have been involved in sponsoring or enabling espionage campaigns. A coalition of more than 20 prominent journalists and opposition figures became a focal point in a New Delhi publication that described political pressure behind closed doors to influence international tech firms to soften conclusions or offer alternative explanations. The episode underscores the sensitivity and opacity surrounding covert intelligence activities in a highly scrutinized political landscape.
Two months later, NGO researchers publicly stated that several respected journalists were compromised by Pegasus. Among those named were Siddharth Varadarajan, editor of Phoneme, and Anand Mangale, editor of Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. Both are cited as high profile cases illustrating the reach of this tool into independent journalism and investigative reporting. The broader concern centers on how such spyware can undermine press freedom and erode trust in information sharing in a democratic society.
How Pegasus works
Pegasus is described as a controversial and invasive software developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group. It is designed to infiltrate mobile devices covertly, enabling the operator to access messages, emails, contacts, photos, and other data without triggering obvious alarms in the device owner. The scope of intrusion can be vast, extending to real time location data and even the potential to turn on a device’s camera and microphone in some configurations. This level of access can occur without the user noticing any unusual activity, making detection difficult and allowing the device to become a silent conduit for sensitive information.
Although the most recent detected case in India dates back to October 2023, Pegasus has been found in use across several countries in recent years, including Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Hungary, Rwanda, and Spain. The victims have ranged from journalists and humanitarian workers to political opponents and heads of state. In the Indian context, there are accounts suggesting the program infected the mobile devices of political leaders and activists advocating for regional autonomy, alongside other figures perceived as threats to established authorities. The implications extend beyond individual privacy to influence public discourse and policy choices involving national security and civil liberties.
“Unprecedented” pressure
Amnesty International condemns the use of Pegasus in India as part of a broader pattern of repression and confusion surrounding the protection of fundamental rights. The organization emphasizes that the category of people being spied on often includes critics of government policy, journalists, and advocates for dissent, raising alarms about freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the country. The document notes that state actors have sometimes blurred lines between legitimate security concerns and punitive actions against critics, a combination that threatens the openness essential to a functioning democracy.
Experts from the NGO Security Lab, including Donncha Ó Cearbhaill, explain that the surveillance described in the findings is not just an issue of illegal spying. It also intersects with broader patterns of harassment, smear campaigns, and the use of legal pressure that restrains reporting and civil discourse. The commentary stresses that when journalists face heightened surveillance, it creates a chilling effect, dissuading investigative work and eroding trust in media institutions, which in turn weakens informed public debate and accountability for power.