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He was asked whether the government had carried out any transaction with the NSO Group Technologies.
The opposition parties have been targeting the central government over the snooping row and disrupting proceedings in
IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnawhad had dismissed media reports on the use of Pegasus software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations levelled just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament were aimed at maligning Indian democracy.
In a suo motu statement in Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw had said that with several checks and balances being in place, "any sort of illegal surveillance" by unauthorised persons is not possible in India.
The controversy erupted after an investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data claimed evidence that the military-grade malware from the NSO Group was being used to spy on politicians, journalists, human rights activists and others.
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