The YouTube channel of India’s Supreme Court was hacked on Friday, leading to unauthorized videos promoting cryptocurrency being uploaded and prompting the court to take down the channel.
Hackers replaced live streams of public interest cases with content related to Ripple Labs’ cryptocurrency, XRP. In an official statement, the Supreme Court confirmed the breach, stating, “This is to inform all concerned that the YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India has been taken down. The services on the YouTube channel of the Supreme Court of India will be resumed shortly,” adding that the channel would be restored once full administrative control is regained.
Viewers expecting to watch live hearings were met with a live video titled, “Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds to the SEC’s $2 Billion Fine! XRP Price Prediction,” with all previous videos set to private. Brad Garlinghouse is the CEO of Ripple Labs, a US-based company that develops the cryptocurrency XRP.
The Supreme Court’s YouTube channel is essential for public access to significant cases, including a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding timelines for judicial appointments and a plea contesting the Allahabad High Court’s ruling on the Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute.
The court is working diligently to restore its YouTube channel and regain full control of its content. Previously, the Supreme Court sought a report from the Karnataka High Court concerning controversial remarks made by Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda during a landlord-tenant dispute, highlighting the need for guidelines on judicial remarks in the age of social media.
In a related incident, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN also faced cyberattacks, with hackers compromising official email accounts and altering its YouTube channel’s name, banners, and content. The mission has urged that all emails and videos be disregarded until recovery efforts are complete.
