A recent article from the Financial Times suggests that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India has been implicated in surveilling its populace using advanced surveillance technology acquired from Israeli technology firms. According to the report, companies like Cognyte and Septier have provided the Indian government with potent surveillance tools, which are allegedly being employed to monitor the private communications and personal data of the country’s 1.4 billion citizens.
The surveillance infrastructure is purportedly installed within subsea cable landing stations, enabling Indian security agencies to gain access to a wide array of personal information. Septier, based in Israel, has reportedly supplied its legal interception technology to prominent telecom entities like Reliance Jio led by Mukesh Ambani, Vodafone Idea, and Singapore’s Singtel. Their technology claims to extract various forms of communication data from targets, encompassing voice communications, messaging services, web browsing, and email correspondence.
Meanwhile, another Israeli firm, Cognyte, is also involved in providing surveillance solutions within India. In a different context, Cognyte was implicated in a 2021 controversy where it was alleged, among other companies, to be associated with the tracking of journalists and politicians across multiple countries, although India was not specifically mentioned.
The Financial Times’ article cites insiders who have been involved in submarine cable projects around the world, asserting that India stands out due to its explicit requirement for telecom companies to incorporate surveillance tools at subsea cable landing stations and government-approved data centers as a condition for operational licenses.
India’s approach to legal interception is not unique; other countries such as Uganda and Rwanda have implemented similar interception legislation. Notably, back in 2013, the Snowden leaks revealed mass surveillance activities conducted by intelligence agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom through covert arrangements with telecom providers.
Recent years have seen allegations against the Modi government for using the Pegasus spyware to surveil opposition leaders, journalists, and activists. The Washington Post reported that the Pegasus spyware had the capability to breach mobile phones via a link and covertly gather emails, calls, and text messages. These claims have further fueled concerns over privacy and government overreach in surveillance practices.
