In a joint investigation released Thursday, Amnesty International and the Washington Post said the Indian government had recently targeted prominent journalists using Pegasus spyware.

Created by Israeli company NSO Group and sold to governments around the world, Pegasus software can be used to access phone and email messages, view photos, listen to conversations, track locations and even record their owners with cameras.

Amnesty International said journalists Siddharth Varadarajan of The Wire and Anand Mangnale of The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project had been targeted with spyware on their iPhones, with the last identified case occurring in October.

“Our latest findings show that journalists in India increasingly face illegal surveillance simply for doing their work, as well as other tools of oppression, including deprivation of liberty under laws draconian actions, smear campaigns, harassment and intimidation,” said Donncha O Cearbhaill, chief executive. . which is part of Amnesty International's Security Lab.

The Indian government did not immediately respond, but denied similar accusations in 2021 that it used Pegasus spyware to surveil political opponents, activists and journalists.

Last month, Indian media reported that the country's cybersecurity unit was investigating allegations of attempts to wiretap opposition politicians after reports of receiving warnings from Apple iPhones about ” state-sponsored attackers.”

Regarding the issue, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Information and Technology, said the complaint would cause concern to the government.