In a scathing critique aimed at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in response to Apple\’s advisory to several Opposition leaders about potential \”State-sponsored attackers\” trying to compromise their iPhones remotely, Rahul Gandhi, a prominent member of the Congress party, expressed on Tuesday that they are unafraid of phone tapping.
During a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi stated, \”Every Opposition leader has received notifications from Apple, which state that \’Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers.\’ Everyone in our office, including KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Sitaram Yechury, Priyanka Chaturvedi, TS Singh Deo, Mahua Moitra, and Raghav Chaddha, received the same notification. You are welcome to monitor our phones as much as you wish. We remain unwavering in our resolve. If you desire, I can willingly offer my phone to you. We stand firm and unafraid in our fight.\”
Additionally, the Congress leader contended that the fate of the Modi government is intertwined with the Adani Group, asserting that Adani exerts influence even over Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Echoing his allegations that \”the PM works for Adani,\” Gandhi stated, \”The BJP government and the financial system of the BJP are directly connected to Adani.\”
On Tuesday, various opposition leaders claimed to have received alerts from Apple, warning them about \”State-sponsored attackers attempting remote compromises\” on their iPhones and accusing government involvement in hacking. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw denied these allegations but ordered a thorough investigation.
Apple cautioned these politicians that if their devices were compromised by a \”State-sponsored attacker,\” sensitive data, communications, or even the camera and microphone could be accessed remotely.
\”While there is a possibility that this warning may be a false alarm, we urge you to take it with the utmost seriousness,\” Apple emphasized in the message shared by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on X.
On August 23, the tech giant had previously announced on its website that Apple\’s threat notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been targeted by State-sponsored attackers.