New Delhi, Oct 31 Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah after she received an alert on her phone about an alleged state-sponsored hacking attempt on her phone, saying she has every reason to take this matter seriously and urged them to investigate who, within the 'state,' is engaged in attempting to access her phone and monitor her activities.
In a letter to Modi and Shah the Rajya Sabha member said, "I wish to bring to your immediate attention an alert I have received from Apple, warning me that there have been attempts to breach my phone through a targeted attack by state-sponsored hackers.
“I have every reason to take this matter seriously and urge you to investigate who, within the “state” is engaged in attempting to access my phone and monitor my activities, which is a clear abuse of their authority," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said.
Chaturvedi said that as an iPhone user for over a decade, she has never received an urgent warning message expressing concern over an attempt to breach her Apple ID.
"As an Indian citizen, before being a Member of Parliament, I believe it is a violation of my fundamental rights and contrary to the laws of our country to engage in sophisticated hacking in an attempt to monitor my actions and movements," she said.
Chaturvedi further said that as a vocal critic of certain government activities, she was "deeply troubled" by these alerts warning her about a state-sponsored attack.
"This only reinforces my concerns that, as a member of the Opposition, I am being discouraged from effectively contributing to the pursuit of accountability and transparency within our government," Chaturvedi said.
The Rajya Sabha MP said that if this warning message is "indeed accurate", it raises serious questions about "agencies being directed toward targeting the Opposition instead of those who pose a threat to our nation". "As the cradle of democracy, our actions send a troubling message to the world when our own government, instead of upholding the principles of a robust democratic framework, resorts to silencing the Opposition," Chaturvedi said, adding that she was not the only one to receive such a warning notification from Apple as many MPs and prominent Opposition leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Akhilesh Yadav, Raghav Chadha, Shashi Tharoor, and Sitaram Yechury, have also received similar notifications.
"Last but not the least, in cases of cyber attacks and fraud, one can seek assistance from the cybercrime cell to investigate and bring culprits to justice. However, in this case, what recourse do we have if the state, which is supposed to protect our rights, is the one engaging in the attack? Hence, with a deep sense of responsibility and a clear understanding of my duties, I earnestly request that you prioritise this matter.
“I also wish to sound an alarm regarding my safety and the safety of my immediate family members to ensure that they are not put in harm's way in any covert attempt to target me," she said.
On Tuesday, several Opposition MPs and leaders shared the screenshot of the warning alert from Apple.
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