New Delhi, October 31: A number of journalists, Dalit activists, lawyers and academics in India were targets of surveillance by operators using Israeli spyware Pegasus, Facebook-owned WhatsApp has said. The startling revelation was made in a lawsuit filed by WhatsApp on Tuesday wherein it alleged that the Israeli NSO Group targeted some 1,400 WhatsApp users with Pegasus. The lawsuit was filed in a US federal court in San Francisco. WhatsApp May Work on Multiple Devices at Same Time Soon: Report.

While WhatsApp did not reveal the identities of those who were snooped, it said that it had contacted them and informed them about the spyware. WhatsApp alerted them that their phones had been under state-of-the-art surveillance for a two-week period until May 2019, The Indian Express reported. Interestingly, the Lok Sabha elections were held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The results were declared on May 23. WhatsApp Usage to be Time-Restricted by Modi Government? Charge of Rs 499 Per Month to be Levied? Here's a Fact Check.

"Indian journalists and human rights activists have been the target of surveillance and while I cannot reveal their identities and the exact number, I can say that it is not an insignificant number," a WhatsApp spokesperson was quoted as saying. In its lawsuit, the messaging app alleged that the NSO Group and Q Cyber Technologies violated US and California laws as well as WhatsApp’s terms of service.

"We believe this attack targeted at least 100 members of civil society which is an unmistakable pattern of abuse. This number may grow higher as more victims come forward," WhatsApp said in the lawsuit. Dismissing allegation, the NSO Group claims Pegasus has been sold only to government agencies. "In the strongest possible terms, we dispute today’s allegations and will vigorously fight them. Our technology is not designed or licensed for use against human rights activists and journalists," it said in a statement.

What is Pegasus?

Developed by NSO Group, an Israeli firm, Pegasus is spyware that can read text messages, track calls, collect passwords, trace location and access video camera of devices running certain versions of iOS, Apple's mobile operating system. It was discovered in 2016. After installation on an iPhone, Pegasus can gather information from apps such as iMessage, Gmail, Viber, Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Skype.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2019 09:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).