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US looking into allegations of Indian interception of emails
US authorities are looking into allegations that India’s military intelligence had intercepted emails of officials of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) with the help of some top mobile phone companies.
The request for an investigation apparently came after hackers posted on the Internet a document purported to have been prepared by India’s Directorate General of Military Intelligence (Foreign Division).
Titled “Tactical Network for Cellular Surveillance (TANCS) — PRC Taskforce Update”, the purported document also contains excerpts from emails exchanged by some officials and members of the commission.
“We are aware of these reports and have contacted relevant authorities to investigate the matter. We are unable to make further comments at this time,” USCC spokesman Jonathan Weston said.
The document, whose authenticity has not been established, says that as India does not have access to the USCC local area network, it has signed an agreement with mobile manufacturers Nokia, Apple and Research in Motion (maker of BlackBerry) in return for giving these companies access to the Indian market. Reuters, which first reported the alleged hacking, quoted an Apple spokesperson as saying that the company had not provided the Indian government with backdoor access to its products. A spokesman for Nokia declined comment, while RIM officials could not be reached for comment, it said.
US authorities are looking into allegations that India’s military intelligence had intercepted emails of officials of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) with the help of some top mobile phone companies.
The request for an investigation apparently came after hackers posted on the Internet a document purported to have been prepared by India’s Directorate General of Military Intelligence (Foreign Division).
Titled “Tactical Network for Cellular Surveillance (TANCS) — PRC Taskforce Update”, the purported document also contains excerpts from emails exchanged by some officials and members of the commission.
“We are aware of these reports and have contacted relevant authorities to investigate the matter. We are unable to make further comments at this time,” USCC spokesman Jonathan Weston said.
The document, whose authenticity has not been established, says that as India does not have access to the USCC local area network, it has signed an agreement with mobile manufacturers Nokia, Apple and Research in Motion (maker of BlackBerry) in return for giving these companies access to the Indian market. Reuters, which first reported the alleged hacking, quoted an Apple spokesperson as saying that the company had not provided the Indian government with backdoor access to its products. A spokesman for Nokia declined comment, while RIM officials could not be reached for comment, it said.
