Latest news with #AccessNow
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
N.S. wants to go 'back to the table' on federal pharmacare deal
An official with Nova Scotia's Health Department says the province wants to get back into negotiations with the federal government on a pharmacare agreement. Stacy Burgess, executive director of clinical care and delivery, made the comments at a meeting of the standing committee on health at Province House on Tuesday. "Health Canada is aware that we want to come back to the table for further discussions, so we're waiting for that invite," she told reporters following the meeting. She said she couldn't provide any details about past negotiations as she isn't directly involved in the work. The Trudeau Liberal government passed legislation last year for a universal pharmacare program. However, since health care falls under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, each province and territory must sign an agreement with Ottawa to tap into the program. British Columbia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and the Yukon have signed agreements for the first phase of national pharmacare, which includes coverage for diabetes medication and some prescription contraceptives. Pharmacist Kari Ellen Graham said signing a deal is a "no-brainer." Graham is the founder of Access Now Nova Scotia, a group that advocates for free birth control, and was a witness at the health committee meeting. "Unfortunately Nova Scotia is lagging behind a little bit right now, but I was very encouraged with the conversations that we had in the legislature," she told reporters. 'Completely aligned,' government MLA tells advocates Graham pointed to comments from some government MLAs who expressed support for universal contraceptive coverage. "I sit here as a Nova Scotian, as a woman, completely aligned with the case you've made," Progressive Conservative MLA Susan Corkum-Greek told the panel of witnesses. She said the government is "very interested" in reaching a pharmacare deal and doesn't want to leave money on the table. But Corkum-Greek also expressed some hesitancy. She hearkened back to the federal-provincial funding arrangement on child care, which the previous provincial Liberal government signed. Corkum-Greek said the deal was "short-sighted" in leaving out private child-care providers. The Progressive Conservative government has since tried unsuccessfully to reopen the child-care deal with Ottawa. "It does highlight that the devil truly is in the details," said Corkum-Greek. Corkum-Greek would not agree to an interview after the committee meeting. Holding out for 'best deal' Burgess said the department will be looking to get "the best deal," which she described as one that is financially responsible, doesn't interfere with any existing programs and ensures long-term funding. The other pharmacare deals are for five years. Graham said she's also hoping for a good deal, but she doesn't think that means Nova Scotia should wait any longer. "We've put decades of research into this and, really, it's a no-brainer.… We need to step up, we need to move forward." She said she hopes Nova Scotia will push for more contraceptive coverage than the other provinces and the Yukon got. The four pharmacare deals that have already been struck all include the same suite of contraceptives — mostly hormonal pills and intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Graham said at least a half-dozen options are left out of those deals. "We'll be looking for all contraceptives to be on the list," she said.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
NSO To Pay $168 Million In Damages To WhatsApp For Pegasus Spyware Hacking
Yesterday, May 6, 2025, a California jury found that NSO Group should pay $447,719 in compensatory damages and a staggering $167,254,000 in punitive damages for targeting WhatsApp's infrastructure with Pegasus spyware. This is the first time NSO, which has been at the center of human rights violations against journalists, activists, and dissidents around the world, is to pay damages for its hacking operations. The decision comes after a weeklong trial and a six-year bitter legal battle between the notorious Israeli spyware company and U.S. Big Tech giant Meta. In January 2025, the U.S. District Court of Northern California judge ruled in a historic summary judgment decision that NSO violated federal and California state hacking statutes and breached WhatsApp's Terms of Service, leaving the jury to decide only on how much damages NSO would have to pay. 'Today's verdict against NSO is an enormous victory for digital rights and for victims of Pegasus spyware around the world,' said Natalia Krapiva, Senior Tech Legal Counsel at Access Now. 'Congratulations to Meta for sticking with their lawsuit and holding NSO to account. We urge other companies whose infrastructure and users are targeted by NSO and other spyware companies to explore filing similar legal actions.' For the past six years, Access Now and civil society partners have been advocating for accountability for NSO for targeting WhatsApp's users with Pegasus spyware. In December 2020, Access Now, along with partners, submitted an amicus brief highlighting the stories of civil society victims of NSO when the case was heard by the U.S. Federal 9th Circuit Court. 'This verdict sends a clear message to spyware companies that targeting people through U.S.-based platforms will come with a high price,' said Michael De Dora, U.S. Policy and Advocacy Manager at Access Now. 'It underscores the importance of U.S. institutions protecting the digital infrastructure and individuals that rely on it from unlawful surveillance.' In November 2022, Access Now and partners asked the Solicitor General to consider NSO's human rights conduct when making recommendations to the U.S. Supreme Court about the case. After the 9th Circuit Court ruled against NSO and the Supreme Court denied hearing NSO's appeal, the case went back to the District Court in Northern California, resulting in today's verdict.
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Court clash between Meta and NSO ends in $168m defeat for spyware firm
Meta Platforms won a $168m verdict against the Israeli surveillance firm NSO, the company said Tuesday, capping a six-year arm-wrestling match between the US's biggest social-networking platform and the world's best-known spyware company. Meta had already won after a December ruling found that NSO had unlawfully exploited a bug in its messaging service WhatsApp to plant spy software on its users' phones. On Tuesday, a jury in California ruled that NSO owed Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages – and $167.3m in punitive damages, 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,' Meta said in a statement. In its statement, NSO said it would 'carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal'. NSO, an Israeli firm that first drew global attention in 2016, has become 'a poster child for the surveillance industry and their abuses and impunity', said Natalia Krapiva, a senior lawyer with the human-rights group Access Now. NSO has long argued that its software is used to track terrorists and pedophiles, but the firm has been implicated in abusive surveillance in countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Spain, Mexico, Poland and El Salvador. WhatsApp's lawsuit – which was filed in 2019 and at one point made its way to the supreme court – has been closely followed both by NSO's competitors in the surveillance-technology space and by human-rights advocates critical of the industry. Victims of state-backed hacking have struggled to hold suppliers of spy software accountable for what their customers do with their tools, while hacking firms have long worried that their products could draw legal sanctions. The WhatsApp verdict was a sign that both outcomes were possible, said Krapiva. 'This is something that will hopefully show spyware companies that there will be consequences if you are careless, if you are brazen, and if you act in such a way as NSO did in these cases,' she said. Meta slowest to remove scam content, says City watchdog Beyond sending a message to spyware merchants, the case also pulled back the curtain – ever so slightly – on the inner workings of NSO itself. The court heard about NSO's 140 person-strong research team, whose $50m budget was in part devoted to exploiting security vulnerabilities in smartphones. An attorney for the company disclosed that its customers included Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Mexico – rare on-the-record names from NSO's closely guarded client list. Much about the spyware company's targets and clients remains unknown, in part because the firm refused to hand over evidence. In her December ruling, the district judge Phyllis Hamilton accused NSO of having 'repeatedly failed to produce relevant discovery and failed to obey court orders regarding such discovery'. The Guardian reported last year that Israeli officials had seized documents from NSO in an effort to prevent the files from making their way to US court. 'This whole case is shrouded in so much secrecy,' Hamilton said during the trial. 'There's so much that's not known.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Court clash between Meta and NSO ends in $168 million defeat for spyware firm
By Raphael Satter WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Meta Platforms won a $168 million verdict against the Israeli surveillance firm NSO, the company said Tuesday, capping a six-year arm wrestling match between America's biggest social networking platform and the world's best known spyware company. Meta had already won a December ruling finding that NSO had unlawfully exploited a bug in its messaging service WhatsApp to plant spy software on its users' phones. On Tuesday, a jury in California ruled that NSO owed Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages - and $167.3 million in punitive damages, 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," Meta said in a statement. In its statement, NSO said it would "carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal." NSO, an Israeli firm that first drew global attention in 2016, has become "a poster child for the surveillance industry and their abuses and impunity," said Natalia Krapiva, a senior lawyer with the human rights group Access Now. NSO has long argued that its software is used to track terrorists and pedophiles, but the firm has been implicated in abusive surveillance in countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Spain, Mexico, Poland, and El Salvador. WhatsApp's lawsuit - which was filed in 2019 and at one point made its way to the Supreme Court - has been closely followed both by NSO's competitors in the surveillance technology space and by human rights advocates critical of the industry. Victims of state-backed hacking have struggled to hold suppliers of spy software accountable for what their customers do with their tools, while hacking firms have long worried that their products could draw legal sanctions. The WhatsApp verdict was a sign that both outcomes were possible, said Krapiva. "This is something that will hopefully show spyware companies that there will be consequences if you are careless, if you are brazen, and if you act in such a way as NSO did in these cases," she said. Beyond sending a message to spyware merchants, the case also pulled back the curtain - ever so slightly - on the inner workings of NSO itself. The court heard about NSO's 140 person-strong research team, whose $50 million budget was in part devoted to exploiting security vulnerabilities in smartphones. An attorney for the company disclosed that its customers included Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico - rare on-the-record names from NSO's closely guarded client list.
CNA
06-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Court clash between Meta and NSO ends in $168 million defeat for spyware firm
WASHINGTON :Meta Platforms won a $168 million verdict against the Israeli surveillance firm NSO, the company said Tuesday, capping a six-year arm wrestling match between America's biggest social networking platform and the world's best known spyware company. Meta had already won a December ruling finding that NSO had unlawfully exploited a bug in its messaging service WhatsApp to plant spy software on its users' phones. On Tuesday, a jury in California ruled that NSO owed Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages - and $167.3 million in punitive damages, 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," Meta said in a statement. In its statement, NSO said it would "carefully examine the verdict's details and pursue appropriate legal remedies, including further proceedings and an appeal." NSO, an Israeli firm that first drew global attention in 2016, has become "a poster child for the surveillance industry and their abuses and impunity," said Natalia Krapiva, a senior lawyer with the human rights group Access Now. NSO has long argued that its software is used to track terrorists and pedophiles, but the firm has been implicated in abusive surveillance in countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Spain, Mexico, Poland, and El Salvador. WhatsApp's lawsuit - which was filed in 2019 and at one point made its way to the Supreme Court - has been closely followed both by NSO's competitors in the surveillance technology space and by human rights advocates critical of the industry. Victims of state-backed hacking have struggled to hold suppliers of spy software accountable for what their customers do with their tools, while hacking firms have long worried that their products could draw legal sanctions. The WhatsApp verdict was a sign that both outcomes were possible, said Krapiva. "This is something that will hopefully show spyware companies that there will be consequences if you are careless, if you are brazen, and if you act in such a way as NSO did in these cases," she said. Beyond sending a message to spyware merchants, the case also pulled back the curtain - ever so slightly - on the inner workings of NSO itself. The court heard about NSO's 140 person-strong research team, whose $50 million budget was in part devoted to exploiting security vulnerabilities in smartphones. An attorney for the company disclosed that its customers included Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico - rare on-the-record names from NSO's closely guarded client list. Much about the spyware company's targets and clients remains unknown, in part because the firm refused to hand over evidence. In her December ruling, District Judge Phyllis Hamilton accused NSO of having "repeatedly failed to produce relevant discovery and failed to obey court orders regarding such discovery." The Guardian newspaper reported last year that Israeli officials had seized documents from NSO in an effort to prevent the files from making their way to U.S. court. "This whole case is shrouded in so much secrecy," Hamilton said during the trial. "There's so much that's not known."
