U.S. judge permanently blocks Israeli spyware firm NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp

A U.S. federal court has issued a permanent injunction preventing Israel’s NSO Group from attempting to breach WhatsApp, which is Meta’s internationally popular messaging platform.

The judge reduced the punitive damages awarded to Meta from $167 million to just $4 million.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton on Friday results from a legal battle that began in 2019 when Meta accused NSO of using its Pegasus spyware to unlawfully target WhatsApp users. 

The software, known for its ability to exploit software vulnerabilities and enable undercover surveillance, ha allegedly been linked to numerous human rights abuse allegations, according to Amnesty International.

NSO had previously warned the court that such a restriction on interacting with Whatsapp would severely threaten its business model, arguing that being cut off from WhatsApp would “put NSO’s entire enterprise at risk” and could even “force NSO out of business.”

Meta applauded the decision as a win for privacy and civil society.

“Today’s ruling bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again,” said Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, in a post on X. “We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society.”