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Israeli spyware firm NSO to pay WhatsApp $168 mn in damages, rules court
Tech giant Meta Platforms has won a $168 million verdict against the Israeli spyware company NSO, maker of the Pegasus spyware. The verdict brings an end to the six-year-long contest between the US's largest social networking platform and the world's best-known spyware company, Reuters reported.
WhatsApp bug exploitation at centre of Meta-NSO legal battle
The case pertains to exploiting a bug in the encrypted messaging platform WhatsApp and selling it to clients who used it to keep a check on journalists, activists, and political dissidents. The case in California's federal court marks the first time a spyware company has been held responsible for breaching the technical sanctity of the platforms that operate on smartphones.
Court orders NSO to pay $168 mn in damages to Meta
The federal court ruled on Tuesday (local time) that NSO owes $444,719 in compensatory damages to Meta, along with $167.3 million in punitive damages, the tech giant said.
In a statement, Meta said, 'Today's verdict in WhatsApp's case is an important step forward for privacy and security as the first victory against the development and use of illegal spyware that threatens the safety and privacy of everyone.'
NSO responds to ruling, signals possible appeal
NSO also released a statement following the verdict and noted it would 'carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal.'
The report, citing Natalia Krapiva, a senior lawyer with the human-rights group Access Now, stated that the Israeli spyware company first gained attention in 2016 and has now become a 'poster child for the surveillance industry and their abuses and impunity.'
NSO defends Pegasus, despite global surveillance abuse claims
NSO has long defended its spyware software, stating that it is used to track terrorists and pedophiles. However, it has been implicated in abusive surveillance in several countries across the world, including Saudi Arabia, Spain, Mexico, Poland, and El Salvador.
WhatsApp vs NSO: Timeline of Pegasus spyware dispute
The legal battle between the two began in 2019, when Mark Zuckerberg-led WhatsApp found that NSO's Pegasus had exploited a bug in the application's audio-calling feature.
The vulnerability allowed Pegasus to infect over 1,400 devices worldwide without them knowing. Over the last six years, Meta shared proof that NSO spent millions of dollars every year developing the spyware. It further claimed that Pegasus did not just target Meta apps, but can also break into phones and turn on cameras and microphones in devices without the knowledge of their users.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Now, locals in tourist areas allowed to open homestays
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
US-backed Gaza aid group names evangelical as chairman
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
UN says 'deadly attacks' around Gaza aid sites 'a war crime'
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that "deadly attacks" on civilians around aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip constituted "a war crime". Rescuers in the Palestinian territory said Israeli fire targeting civilians near an aid distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah killed 27 people on Tuesday, raising an earlier toll. It came after a similar incident on Sunday when rescuers said 31 people were killed at the same location, witnesses saying they had been on their way to collect aid. "Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable," Mr. Turk said in a statement. "For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This morning, we have received information that dozens more people were killed and injured." The U.S.-backed GHF is a recently formed group that Israel has cooperated with to implement a new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza. The United Nations does not work with the foundation because of concerns that it does not meet core humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. Turk called for a prompt and impartial investigation into each attack, and for those responsible to be held to account. "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime," he said. "Palestinians have been presented the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel's militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism. "This militarised system endangers lives and violates international standards on aid distribution, as the United Nations has repeatedly warned."
