Pegasus : Give it to a Surgeon

 

 

A knife can kill but in the hands of a surgeon, it can also save a life

A knife has no intentions – good or bad – only a “ capability “ .

Humans using the knife have those “ intentions “

Apparently, certain “ capability “ of Pegasus seems to have been used by humans having bad intentions

Can we find a way to use that “ capability “ to save mankind from militancy–hatred-violence–killings–murders – wars ?

YES

First, let us understand what Pegasus can do

Context :

Pegasus updated guide: How it infects phones, what it does, how to detect and get rid of it  /  India Today  /  19 July 2021

Extract :

Ø  The highly sophisticated spyware is meant to be a way to investigate terrorism and crime. At least that is what its maker, Israel-based cyber-security firm NSO Group, claims

Ø  The question, however, many readers may have is this: If you are using an iPhone or an Android, can Pegasus be used to monitor all your data?

Ø  It now adopts a different and more sophisticated approach for reaching new targets. Shockingly, the new method does not require any input from the target user. It can infect a device by what is called a "zero-click" attack.

Ø  The analysis by Amnesty International shows the links for downloading the bits of Pegasus are hidden in the contents of a message, or an image or the background data that apps often download on phones without requiring any inputs from users.

Ø  Once a smartphone is infected by it, Pegasus can effectively monitor any activity you perform on it. This includes,

     #   reading or copying your messages,

     #   extracting your media files,

     #   accessing your browser history,

     #   recording your calls and much more

 

Ø  It can even turn the device into a surveillance tool by turning on its microphone to,

     #   listen and record an on going conversation. Similarly, it can

     #   trigger the phone's camera to record a video at any point in time.

Ø  The spyware can even be used to,

     #   extract the exact location of a device, or the history of its

          whereabouts.

This means an infected smartphone will effectively give out the locations that its user has visited in the past or is currently at.

Ø  In 2017 researchers at anti-virus company Kaspersky wrote, "We're talking total surveillance. Pegasus is modular malware. After scanning the target's device, it installs the necessary modules to,

      #  read the user's messages and mail,

      #  listen to calls,

      #  capture screenshots,

      #  log pressed keys,

      #  ex-filtrate browser history, contacts, and so on and so forth.

      #  It can spy on every aspect of the target's life.

     #   even listen to encrypted audio streams

     #  read encrypted messages — thanks to its key-logging and audio

         recording capabilities, it was stealing messages before they were

         encrypted (and, for incoming messages, after decryption)."

       

Ø  The crux is that a regular smartphone user will never be able to detect these, while the spyware will continue to operate, leaking the user's data to the spyware user.

Ø  Cybersecurity experts have indicated that a device infected by Pegasus might never be able to recover from it completely…. So the best option for victims of the spyware attack is to get rid of the infected device altogether

Now, let us see HOW we can use this “ capability “  for SAVING MANKIND

Here is what I envisaged some 5 YEARS ago  :

 

Ø  Fast Forward to Future ( 3 F )                                 [  20  Oct  2016  ]

 

Extract :

 

 #  Every smart phone to be embedded with this technology ( and every human

     to carry one, all the time ), in the form a mobile app to be called ARIHANT 

    

    ( ARIHANT = Conqueror of Kaam-Sex / Krodh-Anger / Lobh-Greed / Moh-

      Desire / Mud-Ego / Matsar-Envy )

 

  

#  24*356, this technology will pick up ( record ), every single word spoken by

    the owner, throughout his life

 

  

#  All these spoken words ( conversations ), will be transmitted to a CENTRAL

    DATABASE called ,

    “ MIND READER  Of  HUMAN  INTENTIONS “

 

  

#  There, the BIG DATA ANALYTICS / AI , will interpret those " Intentions " and

    alert authorities for any EVIL INTENTIONS ( those that break the 3 LAWS Of

    ROBOTICS, formulated by Isaac Asimov )

   

  

#  Authorities will be alerted to arrest the owners of EVIL INTENTIONS ( captured

    by ARIHANT )

 

  

If Google could become a " Database of written Intentions " ( through more than a billion typed Search Queries per day ), then there is no reason to disbelieve that ARIHANT could become a " Database of Spoken Intentions " of the entire mankind ( may be a billion conversations, EVERY SECOND ! )

 

  

And since Google is a member of a consortium formed a few weeks back for the advancement of AI , it will be too happy to integrate its own, very powerful " Language Translation Software " into the ARIHANT

 

 This will enable catching of  EVIL INTENTIONS  expressed in any language !

Fast forward to 2026

 

 If implemented, ARIHANT ( the Omnipotent / Omnipresent / Omniscient AI ) will eavesdrop on every spoken word of every human being , decipher the problem faced and deliver personalized / customized solutions through IoE ( Internet of Everything ) network

 

  

And what can stop ARIHANT  from picking up all exchanges of data communication, between those " powerful autonomous weapons " if they are embedded with IoE enabled sensors and each assigned its own IP V 6 address ? 

  

It is not enough to raise questions about the potential evil usage of AI

  

We must find methods to prevent such evil use of AI

  

Mankind must be saved !

 

RELATED READINGS :

 

Racing towards ARIHANT ?                                      [ 04  Aug  2017 ]

to : Alphabet / from : ARIHANT                               [ 12  Oct  2017  ]

ARIHANT  :  on the  horizon ?                                  [ 17  May  2018 ]

ARIHANT : Beyond “ Thought Experiment “               [ 21  May  2018 ]

Will ARIHANT humble the hackers ?                          [ 11  Feb  2019 ]

Faith Renewed in ARIHANT                                       [ 23 Dec 2019 ]

Balancing : National Security vs Personal Privacy        [ 19 July 2021 ]

 

===========================================

Dear Shri Ashwini Vaishnawji ( IT Minister / av.odisha@sansad.nic.in ) :

If a tiny Israeli company can come up with Pegasus, I have no doubt that if challenged, ( Software Super-power ) India’s own tech giants ( TCS – INFOSYS – WIPRO etc ), can come up with ARIHANT

Of course, if ARIHANT has to apply to citizen of the entire world ( and not just Indian citizen ), then the following issues will need a Global Debate among, not only the national governments of the World but by all stake-holders :

Ø  Who ( which WORLD-AGENCY ) will own / operate / control ARIHANT ?  UNSC ?

Ø  Where will the CENTRAL DATABASE SERVER get located ? Duplicated ?

Ø  Will controlling agency share its database with National Governments – even if restricted to data of its own citizen ? Will that be aggregated and anonymized ?

Ø  Can any country’s Govt request data about any of its specific citizen ?

Ø  How are such “ requests “ to be treated when government of country  “ I “ , suspects that certain citizen of country “ P “ , are scheming / plotting to harm its National Security ?

Ø  For such suspected “ Cross-border “  conspiracies, can country “ I “ ask INTERPOL to collect data ( from Central Server ) and – if satisfied – file a case in the International Court of Justice ?

Dear Minister,

Getting all countries to reach a common agreement ( like PARIS ACCORD on Climate Change / Global Warming ) to take steps to prevent MISUSE of Pegasus, may not face much opposition

Getting some Indian Tech company to develop ARIHANT can certainly not be a big deal

But getting all countries of the World to reach an agreement on the questions raised by me above, is likely to take many years unless the World faces IMMINENT collapse of CIVIL ORDER all around ( - whose beginning we are already witnessing in several middle-east countries ) – leading to affluent countries getting over-run with millions of  economically / politically persecuted MIGRANTS from countries torn asunder with CIVIL WARS ( albeit financed and supported by those affluent countries ! )

But since, this is not a minor matter of surveillance of a few hundred citizen ( in few countries ) but a question of SAVING MANKIND, I believe it is India’s MORAL OBLIGATION to initiate a dialogue ( as done in case of International Solar Alliance )

And, as the Minister in charge of IT , the knife is in your court !

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  21 July 2021