US EditionIt’s Hard Not to Celebrate Meta’s $168 Million Spyware Win
- A U.S. Federal jury ordered Israeli spyware firm NSO Group to pay Meta nearly $168 million for hacking around 1,400 WhatsApp accounts on Tuesday.
- The case began in 2019 after NSO exploited a WhatsApp vulnerability to install its Pegasus spyware, prompting a lawsuit alleging unauthorized surveillance.
- NSO has faced allegations of abusive surveillance worldwide and claims its technology targets terrorists and criminals exclusively, while it plans to appeal the ruling.
- Meta indicated the $167 million in punitive damages will be difficult to collect due to NSO’s political protection and possible financial instability, but called the verdict a privacy milestone.
- The decision marks a major legal win against illegal spyware, serving as a deterrent to the spyware industry and reinforcing calls for government action on digital security.
17 Articles
17 Articles
US jury orders NSO Group to pay WhatsApp $168M in damages over spyware use
A California jury ordered NSO Group Technologies to pay WhatsApp $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167,254,000 in punitive damages on Tuesday. The jury found that “NSO engaged in malice, oppression, or fraud in violating the California Comprehensive Data Access and Fraud Act”. WhatsApp brought its complaint against NSO, an Israeli cybersecurity company, on October 29, 2019, in the District Court for the Northern District of California. Whats…
Meta Just Won $168M and a Huge Victory Over Spyware
Meta has scored a massive legal win after a Californian jury ruled that Israeli spyware company NSO Group illegally planted a bug in WhatsApp back in 2019. As a result of the spyware attack, Meta has been awarded a staggering $168 million, marking the end of a six-year fight over one of the most invasive […]
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