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WhatsApp had filed a lawsuit in the US against NSO Group which makes Pegasus spyware. The US judge ruled in favour of WhatsApp.
WhatsApp wins lawsuit against NSO Group (AFP Image)
WhatsApp has claimed a legal victory against Israeli company NSO Group which is behind the Pegasus spyware, The Guardian reported.
The Meta’s messaging app had filed a lawsuit against NSO, accusing it of hacking the phones of 1,400 people using Pegasus in May 2019. A US judge, Phyllis Hamilton, ruled that the Israeli company violated US hacking laws and WhatsApp’s terms of service.
NSO will face a jury trial in March next year when it will be decided how much the company owes WhatsApp in damages.
WhatsApp said that it was pleased with the court’s verdict and stressed that spyware companies must be held accountable for targeting journalists, human rights activists, and civil society groups.
In a summary judgment, the judge found NSO Group violated the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Tech giant Apple had filed a similar suit earlier against the Israeli company but dropped it in September.
The US judge also criticised NSO for its non-cooperation during the case. NSO did not provide the spyware’s source code, which was in violation of the court’s order, which led to sanctions against the Israeli company as requested by WhatsApp, according to the report.
The lawsuit was filed in California. The NSO Group made its source code available only to be viewed by an Israeli citizen, which according to the judge was “simply impractical”.
NSO Group has claimed that its government clients use Pegasus, however, evidence showed that the company was directly involved in the operation of spyware to collect data such as photos, emails, and messages from hacked devices. Government officials, journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats were among the victims of the spyware software, The Guardian reported.
The US government has blacklisted NSO in 2021 and banned its agencies from using the company’s products.
- Location :
California, USA