Rush Hour: SC says it is concerned about Pegasus misuse, 48 tourist sites in Kashmir shut and more

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The Supreme Court has said there is nothing inherently wrong with India using spyware for national security, but voiced concern about its potential misuse against private citizens.

“To have a spyware, nothing wrong... We cannot compromise and sacrifice the security of the nation,” the bench said while hearing petitions seeking an investigation into the alleged use of Pegasus spyware against journalists, activists and others. The spyware is manufactured by the Israeli NSO Group.

The court reiterated that individual privacy was protected under the Constitution. It is considering how much of a 2022 technical committee report can be made public. It had been submitted after the Centre failed to clarify whether it used Pegasus. The report found malware in five of 29 phones itexamined, but not Pegasus. Read on.

The Centre has ordered the blocking of 4 PM News’ YouTube channel, which had around 7.3 million subscribers. The platform said it had limited access to the channel because of a government order related to “national security or public order”.

Editor-in-chief Sanjay Sharma described the move as an attempt to “crush a strong voice of democracy”. He said...

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