Judge bars NSO Group from using spyware to target WhatsApp in landmark ruling
A US judge has barred spyware maker NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users. Pegasus spyware has allegedly been used globally to target journalists, human rights defenders and opposition figures, marking a precedent-setting case on commercial spyware.
A US federal judge has permanently barred NSO Group, a commercial spyware company, from targeting WhatsApp and, in the same ruling, cut damages owed to Meta from $168 million to $4 million.
The decision by Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the Northern District of California stems from NSO’s 2019 hack of WhatsApp, when the company’s Pegasus spyware targeted 1,400 users through a zero-click exploit. The injunction bans NSO from accessing or assisting access to WhatsApp’s systems, a restriction the firm previously warned could threaten its business model.
An NSO spokesperson said the order ‘will not apply to NSO’s customers, who will continue using the company’s technology to help protect public safety,’ but declined to clarify how that interpretation aligns with the court’s wording. By contrast, Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, stated on X that the decision ‘bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again.’
Pegasus has allegedly been used against journalists, activists, and dissidents worldwide. The ruling sets an important precedent for US companies whose platforms have been compromised by commercial surveillance firms.
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