Sitaram Yechury writes to PM Modi on Apple 'alert', says gross violation of fundamental rights

New Delhi [India], October 31 : CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on alert he received from the US multinational company 'Apple' about the "state-sponsored snooping" of his communication devices and said any such move "constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India to all its citizens".
Yechury said he received an alert last night about his communication device.
"Apple believes you are being targeted by state-sponsored attackers who are trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID," Yechury wrote in the letter citing the alert.
"A surveillance state is the antithesis of democracy. My work is an open book and there is nothing to hide. Hence, such snooping and the accessibility to remotely access the instruments that I use can only mean that the intention is to remotely plant some information on my devices and then to incriminate me on the basis of such planted fabricated material. Given the gross misuse of Central agencies by this government headed by you, such a possibility is very real," the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary said.
"Your assumption to the office of the Prime Minister was under oath to uphold the Constitution of India. Instead, there is a gross destruction of democracy and the democratic rights of citizens. This is unacceptable," he added.
Several other political leaders also reported about similar alerts from Apple.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra, Congress' Pawan Khera, Shashi Tharoor and AAP MP Raghav Chaddha were among those who said they had received an alert from Apple.
Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government is concerned by the statements in media from some MPs as well as others about a notification received by them from Apple.
"The notification received by them as per media reports mentions about 'state-sponsored attacks' on their devices. However much of information by Apple on this issue seems vague and non-specific in nature. Apple states these notifications maybe based on information which is 'incomplete or imperfect'. It also states that some Apple threat notifications maybe false alarms or some attacks are not detected," the minister said in a post on X.
The minister said that Apple has also claimed that Apple IDs are securely encrypted on devices, making it extremely difficult to access or identify them without the user's explicit permission. "This encryption safeguards the user's Apple ID and ensures that it remains private and protected."
The minister said the government has asked Apple to join the investigation with "accurate information on the alleged state sponsored attacks"
"The Government of Bharat takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications. In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state sponsored attacks," Vaishnaw posted on X.