WhatsApp spying row: We've sent notice to Israel's Pegasus, says Prasad

Govt has asked for an audit of WhatsApp security and systems, according to IT minister

The government has issued notice to the Israeli firm accused of misusing WhatsApp for snooping on Indian citizens, Ravi Shankar Prasad, minister of electronics and information technology, told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Also, the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) has asked for an audit of WhatsApp security and systems, Prasad said.

Responding to the Opposition’s questions on whether the government bought spying software called Pegasus from Israel-based NSO Group, which claims to sell only to governments, the minister did not give a straight answer and said “we have sent a notice to NSO also”.

He was replying to a special