Tharoor-led parliamentary panel to take up WhatsApp snooping case on Nov 20

Amid the row over an Israeli firm snooping on Indian politicians and journalists using Pegasus spyware on WhatsApp, a parliamentary standing committee, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, will take up the case in its next meeting on November 20.

The committee will be one of the two parliamentary panels, headed by Congress leaders who had decided to examine the WhatsApp snooping case. They will seek details from top government officials including the Home Secretary.

Tharoor, who heads the parliamentary standing committee on information technology, said in a letter to his panel members that the alleged use of the technology for snooping on Indian citizens was a matter of “grave concern”.

Earlier, Facebook-owned WhatsApp said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli spyware Pegasus.