The meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology is underway at the Parliament Complex to deliberate on issues of invasion of privacy and snooping on WhatsApp of some Indian activists and journalists using Israeli spyware.
The committee, being chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will be briefed by Union Home Secretary Ajay K Bhalla and Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Ajay Prakash Sawhney.
WhatsApp had earlier this month revealed that journalists and activists in India have been the target of surveillance by operators using the Israeli spyware Pegasus, according to reports.
Facebook-owned messaging company stated that it remains committed to protecting all messages of its users, while the opposition parties accused the Centre of "snooping" on journalists and activists.
Amid the raging controversy, the Central government has asked WhatsApp to come out with an explanation on the breach of privacy and list out measures that have been taken to safeguard the privacy of millions of Indians.