logo
Israeli spyware giant NSO Group ordered to pay nearly $170M to WhatsApp for hacking accounts

Israeli spyware giant NSO Group ordered to pay nearly $170M to WhatsApp for hacking accounts

Politico06-05-2025

Israeli spyware company NSO Group was ordered by a U.S. federal court on Tuesday to pay WhatsApp and its parent company Meta almost $170 million in damages after its cyber tools were used to hack around 1,400 WhatsApp accounts.
NSO Group has become the poster child in recent years for the mostly underground spyware market, used increasingly by governments to
surveil dissidents
, journalists
and politicians
. The ruling, the latest step in a process that began in 2019, is a major win for privacy advocates and those pushing back against NSO Group's controversial Pegasus software.
According to a spokesperson for Meta, the ruling involves NSO Group paying punitive damages of around $167 million to WhatsApp on top of more than $440,000 in compensatory damages after one day of jury deliberation. This stems from an
effort linked to NSO Group
to exploit video calling systems and send malware to around 1,400 WhatsApp users in 2019, many of whom worked for civil society groups. WhatsApp filed a complaint in court after the plot was discovered.
NSO Group was previously
found liable for hacking the WhatsApp user accounts
, setting a precedent for organizations targeted by spyware to go after the companies that build the malicious software.
A post on Meta's site
shortly after the ruling celebrated the win, and noted that WhatsApp will be working to get a court order to 'prevent NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp again.' It added that Meta will be making an unspecified donation to digital rights organizations that work to expose spyware abuses. In addition, WhatsApp plans to publish transcripts of deposition videos from NSO Group executives and others to aid researchers in understanding the full use of spyware globally.
'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,' the post reads.
Apple also filed a suit against NSO Group, seeking damages for spyware being used against its customers. It ultimately
dropped the case last year
after concluding that the suit might expose sensitive Apple user data.
NSO Group has pushed back repeatedly against criticism, arguing that its Pegasus spyware has been used for good, such as
catching high-profile criminals
.
Gil Lainer, vice president of global communications for NSO Group, said in a statement Tuesday that the decision is 'another stope in a lengthy judicial process,' and that 'we firmly believe that our technology plays a critical role in preventing serious crime and terrorism and is deployed responsibly by authorized government agencies.'
'We will carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal,' Lainer said, adding that the company 'remains fully committed to its mission to develop technologies that protect public safety' while working within legal frameworks.
NSO Group was added to the Commerce Department's entity list in 2021, making it difficult for it to do business in the U.S. Meanwhile, the European Parliament
has set up a committee
to investigate the use of Pegasus across EU nations.
Last year, the Biden administration backed a pledge for
other nations to use spyware responsibly
, and the Trump administration
recently backed
an international effort to set a code of conduct for wielding this type of software.
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher for Citizen Lab, which helped investigate the initial hacks of WhatsApp accounts,
tweeted Tuesday
that NSO Group's conduct 'deserved to be punished,' adding that 'NSO makes millions hacking mostly American tech companies … so that dictators can hack dissidents.'
'NSO Group emerges from the trial severely damaged,' Scott-Railton tweeted. 'This will scare customers.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US-China Trade Talks; LA Immigration Clashes Escalate
US-China Trade Talks; LA Immigration Clashes Escalate

Bloomberg

time44 minutes ago

  • Bloomberg

US-China Trade Talks; LA Immigration Clashes Escalate

The US and China are ready to resume trade talks in London today... with the flow of rare earth minerals set to be a key focus; clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators in Los Angeles over anti-deportation protests escalate. President Trump's deployment of the National Guard inflames residents... California's Governor says he will file a law suit to block the federal government's intervention; and Bloomberg learns Meta is in talks to invest in startup Scale AI. The financing may exceed $10 billion, making it one of the largest-ever private company funding deals. (Source: Bloomberg)

Meta in Talks for Scale AI Multi-Billion Investment
Meta in Talks for Scale AI Multi-Billion Investment

Bloomberg

time2 hours ago

  • Bloomberg

Meta in Talks for Scale AI Multi-Billion Investment

Live on Bloomberg TV CC-Transcript 00:00Not exactly a household name. What do scale AI do. And how significant is the investment? Yeah, absolutely. Few people have heard outside of the world of technology and of course of this company, but it has grown in prominence. And now, of course, it's making headlines with this potential investment, 0 billion from META, as you say, one of the biggest private sector investments that we would have seen for years. So Scale AI it focuses on one of the three key components that you need to build out large language models, which is data. So you have energy chips and data, though those are the three main components that come together. And scale AI is squarely focused on data. So they train up, or at least they build out quality data that these models then feed in to train on and they hire PhDs and others to help work through that data and quantify it and tag it. So that's essentially the business model. They've also providing their own solutions into enterprise and have been pushing into defence as well. And I think what this deal tells us is a few things. One Meta of course, that Mark Zuckerberg is not going anywhere in terms of its investments around A.I.. They've pledged to invest at least $60 billion this year and 10 billion now for scale A.I.. If this, of course, comes to pass, so Meta is full bore on the focus on AI, particularly as well around data, it's a reminder that data is becoming a key battleground because along with energy and chips getting hold of the data, quality data is becoming increasingly difficult for these large language models. And so there is a fight on that spectrum as well. And then the third part of this, I think, in terms of what it tells us is defence technology Meta is increasingly working with the Pentagon, particularly further around things like virtual helmets and AI infused helmets for the military. And scale AI already has relationships with the Pentagon. So I think it's also a reminder that matter is getting closer in terms of defence technology as well. So on all three levels, I think those are the significance In terms of the deals that came through this company. Scale AI was valued at 14 billion USD back in 2024. You can imagine that that valuation is much higher now. Yeah. And also we've got London Tech Week kicking off today. What's the top of the agenda? Well, I was talking about data and energy and chips while chips will be front and center because Jensen Huang of nvidia will be giving the keynote speech at London Tech week later this morning alongside the Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Nvidia also expected to announce Jensen Huang some investments here in the UK around training the workforce to be able to use these A.I. applications. They've pledged to train about 100,000 people up until about 2030, investing in the R & D space as well in Bristol, Bristol here in the UK. So the focus is going to be on Jensen Huang has to say at that keynote speech and those investments and how the UK is trying to position itself in this AI race versus the US versus China and also as well versus their counterparts across the channel in Paris because France is also hosting Viva Tech, which is a big tech event and Jensen Huang will be going there as well. And France has been able to build out an AI ecosystem with tax cuts. That is something that arguably the UK government be looking for, which is desperate for growth. And there is one solution for this UK government. They hope to drive growth levels higher in the UK.

Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg
Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg

Axios

time3 hours ago

  • Axios

Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Greta Thunberg

Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists early Monday local time, per posts from the Israeli government and the pro-Palestinian group behind the drive. The big picture: The "Madleen" yacht that "Game of Thrones" actor Liam Cunningham was also aboard was being diverted to Israel and the crew was "expected to return to their home countries," said the Israeli Foreign Ministry on X. Details: The British-flagged ship that was raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war was carrying aid including baby formula, food and medical supplies, per a statement from organizer the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that accused Israeli forces of kidnapping the crew. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who was aboard the ship, said on X the "crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters" around 2am local time. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that everyone aboard the "'selfie yacht'" of "'celebrities'" was unharmed and provided with sandwiches and water. What they're saying: "Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard the Madleen," said Huwaida Arraf, human rights attorney and Freedom Flotilla organizer, in a statement. "This seizure blatantly violates international law."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store