Digital Event Horizon
WhatsApp has been awarded $167 million by a jury in its lawsuit against NSO Group, marking a significant victory for privacy rights advocates who have long criticized the company's practices. The case highlights the importance of stronger regulations and international cooperation to protect digital privacy and security.
A jury has awarded WhatsApp $167 million in punitive damages against NSO Group for exploiting software vulnerabilities to hijack thousands of users' phones. The verdict rejects NSO's defense that it worked solely for licensed government intelligence agencies and barred customers from using its tools against human-rights activists and journalists. The ruling sets a significant precedent for hacking victims and technology providers, holding NSO liable for its actions. The outcome is seen as a major victory for privacy and security rights advocates, who have criticized NSO's practices as being in conflict with global norms on human rights and digital protection. The case highlights the need for stronger regulations and international cooperation to safeguard digital privacy and security worldwide.
In a significant victory for privacy and security advocates, a jury has awarded WhatsApp $167 million in punitive damages in a case the company brought against Israel-based NSO Group for exploiting a software vulnerability that hijacked the phones of thousands of users. The verdict, reached on Tuesday, comes as a major win not just for Meta-owned WhatsApp but also for those who have long criticized the practices of NSO and other exploit sellers.
The lawsuit, filed in 2019, centered around an attack that targeted roughly 1,400 mobile phones belonging to attorneys, journalists, human-rights activists, political dissidents, diplomats, and senior foreign government officials. NSO, which works on behalf of governments and law enforcement authorities in various countries, exploited a critical WhatsApp vulnerability that allowed it to install NSO's proprietary spyware Pegasus on iOS and Android devices. The clickless exploit worked by placing a call to a target's app. A target did not have to answer the call to be infected.
The attack was uncovered after WhatsApp shut down the vulnerable software update with a patch, notifying affected users that their devices had been hacked. In the weeks following, Facebook and WhatsApp also kicked NSO employees off their platforms as part of an effort to distance themselves from the company's questionable activities.
NSO argued that it should be immune from legal actions due to its claims of working solely for licensed government intelligence and law-enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism, child sex abuse, and other serious crimes. The company also stated that it barred customers from using the tools against human-rights activists, journalists, and dissidents.
However, a jury has now rejected NSO's defense, delivering a verdict that not only holds the company liable for its actions but also sets a significant precedent for hacking victims and their technology providers. "Turns out regular people don't like companies that help dictators hack dissidents," wrote John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, on Bluesky. "NSO had all the fancy legal arguments. And all the PR spin. But when their conduct got laid bare... the jury sent a massive Monsanto-style punitive damages signal. Other spyware companies: you may be next."
The verdict is also seen as a major victory for privacy and security rights advocates, who have long criticized NSO's practices as being in direct conflict with global norms on human rights and digital protection. Last year, the judge hearing the case ordered NSO to reveal some of the source code that makes its products work, further exposing the company's methods.
The outcome of this case is significant not just for WhatsApp but also for all technology providers and their users. It serves as a stark reminder of the need for stronger regulations and international cooperation in safeguarding digital privacy and security around the world.
Related Information:
https://www.digitaleventhorizon.com/articles/Jury-Hands-Down-167-Million-Verdict-to-WhatsApp-in-Lawsuit-Against-NSO-Group-for-Exploiting-Vulnerability-deh.shtml
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/05/jury-orders-nso-to-pay-167-million-for-hacking-whatsapp-users/
Published: Tue May 6 23:00:18 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
