New Delhi: The official YouTube channel of the Supreme Court, known as “Supreme Court of India,” was reportedly compromised.
The channel’s name appeared altered to “Ripple,” and instead of the Supreme Court’s regular legal content, videos about cryptocurrency were displayed.
The Supreme Court has utilized YouTube to broadcast hearings of cases before Constitution Benches and issues of significant public interest.
The compromised channel is now displaying videos endorsing XRP, a cryptocurrency created by the American company Ripple Labs.
Presently, a video entitled “Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds To The SEC’s $2 Billion Fine! XRP PRICE PREDICTION” is being streamed live on the channel.
The Supreme Court had recently live-streamed suo motu proceedings related to the R G Kar Hospital Horror, which was also broadcast live by television channels. This YouTube channel was used by the Supreme Court to bring the proceedings into the public’s living rooms.
This incident marks the first time the Supreme Court’s YouTube channel has been hacked since the apex court began live-streaming all constitution bench hearings in 2018.
Following a landmark decision in 2018, the top court, in a unanimous decision led by then CJI UU Lalit, resolved to live-stream all constitution bench hearings.
In 2020, Ripple filed a lawsuit against YouTube for its inability to prevent hackers from impersonating its CEO, Brad Garlinghouse. Ripple Labs operates a trading network for the cryptocurrency XRP, which is designed for international money transfers.
