Security News > 2021 > October > India's Supreme Court starts probe into use of Pegasus spyware

India's Supreme Court has taken the unusual step of commissioning a Technical Committee to investigate whether the national government used the NSO Group's "Pegasus" spyware on its citizens.

Discomfort with India's use of Pegasus has bubbled along ever since, helped by several petitions that sought to determine the extend of government spyware usage, and whether or not it was constitutional.

The Court rejected that idea on grounds that the government could not be trusted to investigate itself - for one thing because that's never a good idea, but also because government legal reps obfuscated when asked to supply information about the use of Pegasus.

"The Order is a step in the right direction for ensuring that our democracy is not held a prisoner to the abuse of power by the Government," the Center added, before noting "Much remains to be seen on how the case progresses after the Committee submits its report before the Hon'ble Supreme Court and how the final judgment shapes the actions and omissions of the government, in the future."

Which is a nice way of saying that there's no way of knowing what the committee will find, and what - if anything - the Supreme Court will order the government to do.

Of course, India's government has the power to legislate as it chooses - including in ways that would stymie whatever the Court recommends.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/10/29/india_nso_pegasus_probe/