Parl Panel on IT Can't Take Up Apple Warning Message Issue, It Comes Under Govt's Jurisdiction: Nishikant Dubey

The parliamentary committee on IT cannot take up Apple’s warning message issue as the matter comes under the government’s jurisdiction according to Lok Sabha rules, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who is a member of the panel, claimed on Wednesday. 2

The BJP leader’s remarks came after some of opposition leaders, including Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, demanded that the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology take up the matter.

Several opposition leaders on Tuesday had claimed that they received an alert from Apple warning them of “state-sponsored attackers trying to remotely compromise” their iPhones and alleged hacking by the government, a charge Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw rejected but assured a thorough probe.

In a post on X in Hindi, Dubey said, “The country does not run by creating pressure by giving statements in newspapers. The Standing Committee on Information and Telecommunications is no longer headed by Shashi Tharoor and run by Rahul Gandhi (both Congress leaders). This committee runs under the rules of the Lok Sabha.” Under the rules of the Lok Sabha, the investigation into Apple’s warning to its subscribers comes under the jurisdiction of the central government while their iPhones can be checked by state police for further verification of allegation, he claimed.

“Our committee of which I am also a member cannot hold a meeting on this subject,” Dubey said. Sources said Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has urged the chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee to hold a meeting of the panel over the matter.

In a letter to the parliamentary panel’s chairperson Prataprao Jadhav, the Congress Lok Sabha member urged him to call all those people who have got the warning message from Apple as also representatives of the firm at the meeting, they said.

Apple Inc reacted to the claims of the opposition leaders, saying it is possible that some threat notifications may be false alarms and some attacks may not be detected. It, however, refused to say what triggered warnings received by opposition leaders.