Supreme Court Temporarily Disables YouTube Channel After Hacking Incident

The Supreme Court of India temporarily disabled its YouTube channel on Friday after hackers compromised it, broadcasting videos promoting a cryptocurrency developed by a US-based company.

The hackers renamed the channel to “Ripple” and streamed a video titled “Brad Garlinghouse: Ripple Responds To The SEC’s $2 Billion Fine! XRP PRICE PREDICTION.” They also made previous live-streamed hearings private, further complicating the situation.

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The Supreme Court had recently initiated live streaming of its Constitution Bench proceedings on YouTube, utilizing artificial intelligence and natural language processing technology for real-time transcription of significant hearings. Notable cases like the NEET-UG matter and the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital suo motu case attracted considerable public attention through these streams.

In a landmark judgment in the Swapnil Tripathi case in 2018, the Supreme Court supported the live streaming of important proceedings. Following this, the full court decided to make Constitution Bench proceedings available for public viewing, allowing citizens from all corners of the country to witness the judicial process.

In August of the previous year, during the Constitution Bench hearing concerning Article 370, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud announced plans to establish cloud software for video conferencing, aiming to facilitate virtual hearings in lower courts nationwide. He noted that during the pandemic, Indian courts had successfully conducted approximately 43 million hearings through virtual means.