In the United States, a court has ordered a spyware company to stop targeting WhatsApp, thereby reducing damages.
Opens new tab WhatsApp
The 18th of October, Washington (Reuters) – Israel’s NSO Group has been ordered by a court in the United States to stop targeting the messaging service provided by Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab WhatsApp. The spyware company has expressed concern that this new development could result in the company’s demise.
The efforts of NSO Group to break into WhatsApp, which is one of the most commonly used messaging platforms in the world, were halted by a permanent injunction that was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton on Friday. The ruling, which was 25 pages long and opens a new tab, was handed down.
The punitive damages that NSO owes to Meta have been reduced from about $167 million to $4 million as a result of Hamilton’s decision to give NSO a big break on the damages that were given in a jury trial that was only recently finished.
The order is likely to present a challenge to the National Security Organization (NSO), which has been accused for years of aiding violations of human rights through its flagship hacking tool, Pegasus. Pegasus is able to power its monitoring by exploiting vulnerabilities in software that is widely used, and WhatsApp is one of the more significant targets that it targets during this process.
It has been argued by NSO in the past that an injunction that would prevent it from going after WhatsApp “would put NSO’s entire enterprise at risk” and “force NSO out of business,” as stated in the verdict.
The chief executive officer of WhatsApp, Will Cath cart, stated on X, “Today’s ruling prohibits spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again.” This opens a new tab. “We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society.”
In addition to expressing its satisfaction with the 97% reduction in punitive penalties, NSO stated that the injunction did not apply to the company’s customers, “who will continue using the company’s technology to help protect public safety.” NSO has maintained for a long time that its products are effective in combating severe crimes and terrorist endeavors. According to the statement made by the corporation, it will examine the ruling and “determine its next steps accordingly.”
According to a report that was published earlier this month in the technology journal TechCrunch, the company was recently acquired by a consortium that was led by Hollywood producer Robert Simonds. Despite receiving an email, Simonds did not respond right away.
