A US Judge Rules in Favor of WhatsApp in Lawsuit Against NSO Group
A US judge has ruled in favor of Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israel’s NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software, allowing unauthorized surveillance. US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted WhatsApp’s motion and found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract.
The case will now proceed to a trial only on the issue of damages. WhatsApp and its head, Will Cathcart, welcomed the ruling, saying it was a win for privacy and a warning to surveillance companies that illegal spying will not be tolerated.
Cybersecurity experts have also hailed the judgment, calling it a landmark ruling with significant implications for the spyware industry. The ruling is seen as a major victory for WhatsApp and a major setback for NSO Group, which had argued that its technology was intended to help law enforcement and intelligence agencies fight crime and protect national security.
The lawsuit was filed in 2019, accusing NSO of accessing WhatsApp servers without permission to install the Pegasus software on victims’ mobile devices, allowing the surveillance of 1,400 people, including journalists, human rights activists, and dissidents. NSO had argued that Pegasus helps law enforcement agencies fight crime and protect national security, but the judge found that the company’s actions were illegal and breach of contract.