The Supreme Court of India ruled that reports on the Pegasus spyware, which affect the country’s security and sovereignty, would not be made public. However, individuals who believe their phones have been hacked by the spyware may be informed separately.

A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh stated that they would ensure a balance between national security and individual privacy concerns while handling the Pegasus case. The court said, "Any report that touches the security and sovereignty of the country will not be touched. But individual apprehensions must be addressed."

The justices also mentioned that sensitive reports should not be shared publicly and become "documents for discussion on the streets". They further noted that they would consider how much of the technical panel’s report could be shared with the concerned individuals.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented one of the petitioners, pointed out that WhatsApp had disclosed hacking incidents in a US court, showing the seriousness of the issue. The court acknowledged this point during the hearing.

The next hearing of the case is scheduled for 30th July.

The Pegasus case stems from a report by an international media consortium, which revealed that over 300 verified Indian mobile numbers appeared on a leaked list of potential surveillance targets. Pegasus is a spyware tool developed by the Israeli company NSO Group.

What is Pegasus and how does it work?

Pegasus is a powerful piece of software that can secretly spy on your phone without you knowing. Once installed, it can turn your phone into a 24/7 surveillance device. It can track and copy the messages you send or receive, steal your photos, and even record your phone calls. Pegasus can secretly turn on your phone’s camera to film you or use the microphone to listen to your conversations. It can also find out where you are, where you’ve been, and who you’ve met.

How does Pegasus get into phones?

Pegasus was created by a company called NSO Group, based in Israel. This spyware can infect billions of phones, including both iPhones and Android phones. The first version of Pegasus, discovered in 2016, spread through something called "spear-phishing". This is when hackers send fake text messages or emails that trick people into clicking on harmful links. When someone clicks the link, Pegasus gets installed on their phone.

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