KC Venugopal accuses Modi govt of targeting his phone with 'malicious spyware'
New Delhi, Jul 13: Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday accused the Modi government of targeting his phone with a "malicious spyware" and asserted that "we will oppose this blatantly unconstitutional act" and breach of privacy.
Venugopal shared the screenshot of a message purportedly from Apple which said that "you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID".
In a post on X, Venugopal said, "Thank you PM Modi ji for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also! Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours!"
"Let's be clear, the Modi government is acting in a criminal and unconstitutional manner, going after political opponents and invading their privacy in this manner," the Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, said.
The message of the Lok Sabha elections was that the people reject any attack on the Constitution and the "BJP's fascist agenda", he said.
"We will oppose this blatantly unconstitutional act and breach of our privacy tooth and nail," Venugopal said.
The message purportedly from Apple, whose screenshot Venugopal shared, stated that Apple had previously sent him a notification on October 30, 2023 but this was not a repeat notice and was to inform him that another attack against his device had been detected.
"Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID'¦This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it's never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning ' please take it seriously," the message read.
"These attacks cost millions of dollars and are individually deployed against a very small number of people, but the targeting is ongoing and global. Since 2021, we have sent Apple threat notifications like this one multiple times a year as we detect mercenary spyware attacks," it said.
"Today's notification is being sent to targeted users in 98 countries, and to date we have notified users in over 150 countries in total," it further said.
Thank you PM Modi ji for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also!
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 13, 2024
Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours!
Let’s be clear, the Modi government is acting in a criminal and unconstitutional manner, going after political… pic.twitter.com/VrwF9TGdek
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
