New Delhi: The government on Wednesday constituted an expert committee under the National Cyber Security Coordinator to study reports of surveillance of Indians including of political leaders, by Chinese firm Zhenhua Data after the External Affairs Ministry raised the issue with China's Ambassador here, sources said. The matter was taken up by MEA with the Chinese Ambassador today. Our Embassy in Beijing also raised it with the Foreign Ministry of China. This comes in response to Congress MP KC Venugopal's 'demand for protecting data of Indian leaders and others from Chinese spying'.
"The Chinese side conveyed that Shenzen Zhenhua is a private company and had stated its position publicly. On their part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry maintained that there was no connection between the company concerned and the Chinese government," said External Affairs Minister
The expert group will also evaluate the implications of these reports, assess any violations of law and submit its recommendations within 30 days.
The sources said the government is deeply concerned with any report that suggests that foreign sources are accessing or seeking to access the personal data of Indian citizens without their consent.
"The Government of India takes very seriously the protection of privacy and personal data of Indian citizens. 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," a source told reporters.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar communicated this decision to Congress MP KC Venugopal in response to demands from him and other MPs for protecting data of Indian leaders and others from spying by Chinese companies, sources said.
Venugopal had earlier today demanded a clarification from the Centre in Rajya Sabha on the issue of 'Chinese surveillance on political leaders and key officials.'