Government buying Pegasus-type ‘snooping’ spyware ‘Cognyte’: Congress

The Congress on Monday alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is trying to buy a Pegasus-like software ‘Cognyte’ worth Rs 986 crore to spy on the politicians, media and NGOs.

“When Pegasus became infamous, the government with ‘minimum governance-maximum surveillance’ is looking for new spyware in the market. This new spyware is an alternative to Pegasus. It will cost you and us Rs 986 crore to buy Cognyte spyware,” Congress leader Pawan Khera told a press conference at the AICC headquarters in the national capital.

The Congress leader said crores of rupees of the taxpayers is being used to buy spy software.

“The ‘2 spies’ of this country do not trust anyone. That’s why they are spending crores of rupees of taxpayers like us and you in buying spy software. They are doing this because the emperor is afraid that his hollow palace of lies might collapse from one of our truths,” he said.

Escalating his attack on the BJP, Khera asked three questions to the government.

“Have some communication devices been purchased from Cognyte? If yes, which ministry bought it, how much did it cost? Is there a new Spyware idea to finalize? Has any Ministry issued Request for Proposal? If yes, which ministry is it?” he asked.

Earlier in 2019, Facebook filed a case against NSO, saying that Pegasus had been used to intercept the WhatsApp communications of a number of activists, journalists and bureaucrats in India, according to media reports.

The phone numbers of Indian ministers, opposition leaders, ex-election commissioners and journalists were allegedly found on the database of NSO hacking targets by Pegasus Project in 2021.