Impact Of Pegasus Spyware On Right To Privacy

Tonujeet Banerjee, Amity University

ABSTRACT:

The aim of this paper is to show the impact of Pegasus Spyware which is an Israeli software which was developed by a private company by NSO group. How this software hack or enter into someone’s phone and download the personal files or information from one phone? How this software is infringing the right to privacy of people not only of India but all the people around the world.

Introduction

Pegasus, is a software which was developed by an Israeli private company NSO group technology Put Ltd. Certainly it is one of the most powerful spyware developed by any company in this world. This spyware can turn on your phone camera or microphone or start recording your calls or track your location that where are you with whom and when. This spyware will track every moment of your life. Even this spyware can share this information publicly or to them who maliciously entered into your phone. This spyware is a licensed owned by the government of Israel where this can infect billions of phone without your knowledge.

Since then, the capabilities of the Pegasus spyware are get more advance where there is no need of interaction between the phone of the user. It will also enter through flaws or bugs without the knowledge of the user. This is known as “zero-click”, where the spyware will enter into the operating system and hack you phone. In 2019 What-app complained that the Pegasus spyware using their platform for malicious activity, where more than 1400 user’s information or messages were forwarded or shared in a day. The spyware simply either call from an unknown number or text to you where this spyware gets a route to enter into the phone and save in the internal space or just simply hack the operating system. More recently the Apple company continuously updating their IOS to prevent from such attack, as we know that the Apple company is very particular towards their user’s privacy. But this spyware can enter into their operating system very easily.

According to some reports over 1000 phone numbers were hacked by the Pegasus only from India. It includes some famous politicians, judges and journalist were there important information has been shared without their knowledge.