Today morning, the official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India was hacked, displaying videos that promoted a cryptocurrency associated with Ripple Labs, a company based in the United States. The channel featured a blank video titled “Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds To The SEC’s $2 Billion Fine! XRP PRICE PREDICTION,” which was broadcasted during the hacking incident. Users attempting to access the channel reported encountering advertisements, while some were redirected to an alternative YouTube channel. A senior official from the Supreme Court expressed uncertainty regarding the specifics of the incident but indicated that the website seemed to have been hacked. The issue was identified on today morning, prompting the Supreme Court’s IT team to engage with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for further investigation. This response highlights the court’s commitment to addressing cybersecurity threats promptly. In an official statement on its website, the Supreme Court announced that its YouTube channel had been taken down as a precautionary measure.
Since September 2022, the Supreme Court has been actively live streaming hearings for cases overseen by a Constitution Bench, emphasizing the importance of maintaining secure and reliable communication among public. The highest judicial authority has adopted YouTube as a platform to broadcast hearings pertaining to cases presented before Constitution Benches, as well as those that engage public interest. This initiative aims to enhance transparency and accessibility in the judicial process. Recently, live streaming of the suo motu case concerning the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder case was conducted and streamed live on YouTube. However, it has come to light that videos from previous hearings have reportedly been rendered private due to hacking incidents. The apex court announced that the YouTube channel had been taken down and assured the public that services would be restored shortly.
