Pegasus Spyware row: WhatsApp says it notified India in May

New Delhi, Nov 02: Amid controversy over spyware which allegedly breached WhatsApp's security, the messaging platform has said that it had informed the Indian authorities about the privacy breach.

WhatsApp on Friday said it has taken a 'strong action' in the incident and supports the Indian government's stand on the need to safeguard the privacy of all citizens.

Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had asked the Facebook-owned messaging service to explain about the Israeli spyware Pegasus attack on its users worldwide using its platform. The IT ministry has reportedly written to WhatsApp seeking its response on the matter.

"Our highest priority is the privacy and security of WhatsApp users. In May, we quickly resolved a security issue and notified relevant Indian and international government authorities. Since then we've worked to identify targeted users to ask the courts to hold the international spyware firm known as the NSO Group accountable," reports quoted a WhatsApp statement as saying.

On Thursday, the Facebook-owned company had said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli spyware Pegasus, leading to a furore over breach of citizens' privacy.

The surveillance revelations come after the messaging platform sued Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group on Tuesday, accusing it of helping government spies break into the phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents including diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and government officials. NSO denied the allegations.