A U.S. federal court on Friday barred Israeli spyware firm NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users, granting a permanent injunction to Meta. However, the judge reduced the damages from $168 million to $4 million, ruling NSO's conduct did not meet the "particularly egregious" standard required for such a large penalty, reports AFP.
District Judge Phyllis Hamilton concluded that NSO’s actions caused irreparable harm, but did not justify the original financial award. The ruling prevents NSO from using spyware on WhatsApp in the future.
"Today's ruling bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again," said WhatsApp head Will Cathcart. “We applaud this decision, which comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting civil society members.”
The lawsuit, filed in 2019, accused NSO of cyberespionage, exploiting WhatsApp to target activists, journalists, and lawyers. Evidence showed NSO reverse-engineered WhatsApp's code to stealthily deploy spyware, bypassing security fixes to continue its attacks.
Judge Hamilton noted that although NSO’s actions caused harm, there were not enough precedents in the smartphone era to deem their conduct "particularly egregious." This decision may influence future legal standards surrounding electronic surveillance.
NSO Group has denied wrongdoing, claiming its software is licensed only to governments for counterterrorism and crime prevention efforts. Founded in 2010, the company is known for its Pegasus spyware, capable of remotely accessing a target’s device.
On Friday, TechCrunch reported that a U.S. investment group acquired controlling interest in NSO. Despite the reduced damages, the court’s decision marks a crucial step in regulating spyware misuse globally.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
