Summary
A U.S. judge has stopped the Israeli company NSO Group from using its spyware on WhatsApp users, reducing a previous damages award from $168 million to $4 million. The court found that NSO's software caused harm by invading users' privacy. The decision follows a lawsuit by Meta, WhatsApp's owner, against NSO for targeting people like journalists and activists.
Key Facts
- A U.S. court issued an order to stop NSO Group from using its spyware on WhatsApp.
- NSO's spyware, called Pegasus, can secretly infiltrate smartphones.
- The court reduced a previous damages award against NSO from $168 million to $4 million.
- Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, sued NSO in 2019 for allegedly targeting its users.
- Judge Phyllis Hamilton noted that NSO used advanced tactics to install its spyware without detection.
- NSO claims it sells its spyware only to government agencies for law enforcement.
- The judge did not extend the ban to other Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram without additional evidence.
