‘Team Jorge’ expose: Cong seeks probe into Israeli agency’s function in elections in India 

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday demanded a probe into the alleged use of an Israeli crew of contractors to intervene in Indian elections and requested the federal government to interrupt its silence on the matter.

At a press convention right here, Congress spokespersons Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate drew similarities between “Team Jorge”, the Israeli crew of contractors, and the IT cell of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in spreading misinformation and “fake news” in an effort to affect the nation’s electoral course of.

They additionally alleged that the information of Indians is being compromised.

“Team Jorge”, which is feared to have interfered with greater than 30 elections around the globe, has been linked with a software program to function faux social media campaigns throughout nations, together with India, a report stated on Wednesday.

“We have seen a pattern in India. We want the government to break its silence and say what has been its contribution in saving democracy in the country,” Shrinate stated, asserting that it’s the Centre’s job to present a reply when a world company has made out such a critical allegation.

“This impacts India’s electoral process directly and there should be a probe,” she stated.

“If the government is not doing anything on this, it means it is seeking help to interfere in the country’s democracy and elections. The data of Indians is being compromised by handing it over to a foreign firm,” the Congress’s social media division head alleged.

Shrinate stated this isn’t the primary time that allegations of information theft have been levelled towards the Narendra Modi authorities.

“One of the serious charges that this government faces is data theft and data manipulation to actually tamper with the electoral process. You saw what happened in Karnataka. This government is known to play with big data to its advantage. This is nothing but a murder of democracy,” she alleged.

Shrinate additionally accused the BJP’s IT cell of usually indulging in such actions by “militarising or weaponising” rumours by spreading these additional and stated that is resulting in dangerous leads to the society and therefore, questions can be requested.

Khera alleged that India’s democracy is being “hijacked” by the nation’s ruling occasion.

“An Israeli agency’s help is being taken to influence the country’s democracy. Sitting in India, they are conspiring against India’s democracy along with other countries,” he stated.

Khera additionally puzzled if the BJP used a community of overseas hackers to intervene in Indian elections and recalled that there have been allegations of utilizing Cambridge Analytica (CA) after which Pegasus by the Modi authorities to meddle within the nation’s political system by spreading misinformation on digital media.

“Is there a link between Post Card News and Team Jorge — a team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media?” he requested.

ALSO READ | Israeli agency concerned in ‘destabilising democracies and disrupting elections’ operates in India: Report

“The pattern of disinformation and fake news campaigns being adopted by the Israelis is mirrored by the ruling BJP very distinctly,” the Congress chief alleged, including that an innocuous social media account places out “disinformation”, which is amplified by the “right-wing ecosystem,” together with BJP office-bearers, MPs, MLAs and ministers.

“Is it not a fact that the BJP used fake news to repeatedly target the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the last four-five months and was always caught? “Will the Modi authorities examine the most recent scandal that has hit the Indian political spectrum, involving but once more overseas contractors indulging in refined hacking, sabotage and automatic disinformation on social media?” he requested.

In a world investigation carried by a gaggle of journalists, together with these from “The Guardian” newspaper within the United Kingdom, the so-called “Team Jorge” unit has been linked with allegedly providing a classy software program package deal named Advanced Impact Media Solutions (AIMS) to its business shoppers as one in every of its key providers.

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday demanded a probe into the alleged use of an Israeli crew of contractors to intervene in Indian elections and requested the federal government to interrupt its silence on the matter.

At a press convention right here, Congress spokespersons Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate drew similarities between “Team Jorge”, the Israeli crew of contractors, and the IT cell of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in spreading misinformation and “fake news” in an effort to affect the nation’s electoral course of.

They additionally alleged that the information of Indians is being compromised.

“Team Jorge”, which is feared to have interfered with greater than 30 elections around the globe, has been linked with a software program to function faux social media campaigns throughout nations, together with India, a report stated on Wednesday.

“We have seen a pattern in India. We want the government to break its silence and say what has been its contribution in saving democracy in the country,” Shrinate stated, asserting that it’s the Centre’s job to present a reply when a world company has made out such a critical allegation.

“This impacts India’s electoral process directly and there should be a probe,” she stated.

“If the government is not doing anything on this, it means it is seeking help to interfere in the country’s democracy and elections. The data of Indians is being compromised by handing it over to a foreign firm,” the Congress’s social media division head alleged.

Shrinate stated this isn’t the primary time that allegations of information theft have been levelled towards the Narendra Modi authorities.

“One of the serious charges that this government faces is data theft and data manipulation to actually tamper with the electoral process. You saw what happened in Karnataka. This government is known to play with big data to its advantage. This is nothing but a murder of democracy,” she alleged.

Shrinate additionally accused the BJP’s IT cell of usually indulging in such actions by “militarising or weaponising” rumours by spreading these additional and stated that is resulting in dangerous leads to the society and therefore, questions can be requested.

Khera alleged that India’s democracy is being “hijacked” by the nation’s ruling occasion.

“An Israeli agency’s help is being taken to influence the country’s democracy. Sitting in India, they are conspiring against India’s democracy along with other countries,” he stated.

Khera additionally puzzled if the BJP used a community of overseas hackers to intervene in Indian elections and recalled that there have been allegations of utilizing Cambridge Analytica (CA) after which Pegasus by the Modi authorities to meddle within the nation’s political system by spreading misinformation on digital media.

“Is there a link between Post Card News and Team Jorge — a team of Israeli contractors who claim to have manipulated more than 30 elections around the world using hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media?” he requested.

ALSO READ | Israeli agency concerned in ‘destabilising democracies and disrupting elections’ operates in India: Report

“The pattern of disinformation and fake news campaigns being adopted by the Israelis is mirrored by the ruling BJP very distinctly,” the Congress chief alleged, including that an innocuous social media account places out “disinformation”, which is amplified by the “right-wing ecosystem,” together with BJP office-bearers, MPs, MLAs and ministers.

“Is it not a fact that the BJP used fake news to repeatedly target the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the last four-five months and was always caught? “Will the Modi authorities examine the most recent scandal that has hit the Indian political spectrum, involving but once more overseas contractors indulging in refined hacking, sabotage and automatic disinformation on social media?” he requested.

In a world investigation carried by a gaggle of journalists, together with these from “The Guardian” newspaper within the United Kingdom, the so-called “Team Jorge” unit has been linked with allegedly providing a classy software program package deal named Advanced Impact Media Solutions (AIMS) to its business shoppers as one in every of its key providers.