Page 15 - Seniors Today - August 21 Issue

Essay
The Future of Truth
With the Pegasus scandal and the widespread manipulation of media,
how can we tell reality from fakery, asks Vickram Sethi
Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every step you take
I’ll be watching you
Pegasus is a winged horse of evil birth
born from the blood of Medusa, although
he became a constellation and the servant of
Zeus. On every dark night, he is supposed
to be set free by Zeus and roams the earth
spreading evil. Right now, this winged
horse has caused a huge upheaval in India,
invaded the privacy of some, and has
become aware of everyone’s dark secrets.
Imagine a group of people connected with
him know about your success and failures
in the bedroom, in the bathroom, your
deepest, darkest secrets, clandestine and
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #26 | AUGUST 2021
nefarious doings, your dirty conversations,
evil machinations. Everything that you
don’t want anyone to know, they know.
In an era of smartphones, you could be
walking around with a potential tracking
device in your pocket. The Israeli company
NSO has snooped on a large number of
powerful people. The company claims that
it offers spyware services only to a vetted
government. The government denies any
role in this interception. Like so many other
scandals, it will get talked about, public
anger will be expressed, various association
and bodies would pass resolutions
condemning the intrusion.
Pegasus is now all set to fly away. We
are now basking in our Olympic glory
and this good news story will continue
for a long time, long enough for Pegasus
15