Committee given a month to probe reports of surveillance by Chinese firm

An expert committee, set up following reports that a Chinese technology company was monitoring over 10,000 prominent Indians, has been given a month’s time to study the entire issue and make its recommendations, the government said on Thursday.

At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government has already taken up the matter with the Chinese side.

“The government has constituted an Expert Committee under the National Cyber Security Coordinator to study these reports, evaluate their implications, assess any violations of law and submit its recommendations within 30 days,” he said.

Mr Srivastava said following media reports on the issue, the MEA had taken it up with the Chinese side

“The Chinese side has conveyed that the company is a private entity. The Chinese side has also claimed that there is no connection between the company concerned and the Chinese government,” he said.

The Indian Express newspaper reported that the Shenzhen-based technology firm was tracking over 10,000 prominent Indians from diverse fields including politics, business and civil society. NDTV