The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp to file a lawsuit against Israeli company NSO Group for exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software that allowed it to monitor 1,400 people , including journalists, human rights activists and dissidents.
The judges rejected NSO’s appeal against a lower-level sentence that allowed the proceeding to continue. NSO said it was immune from prosecution because it acted as an agent of unidentified foreign governments when it installed “Pegasus” spyware.
In 2019, WhatsApp sued NSO seeking an injunction and damages, accusing the Israeli company of accessing the app’s servers without permission to install Pegasus software on victims’ mobile devices.
NSO said Pegasus helps law enforcement and intelligence agencies fight crime and protect national security, and that its technology is intended to help catch terrorists, pedophiles and criminals.
In one high-profile case, NSO spyware was used – presumably by the Saudi government – to target the inner circle of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi shortly before he was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
WhatsApp’s lawyers said private entities like NSO are “categorically ineligible” for foreign sovereign immunity.
According to court documents, 1,400 WhatsApp user accounts were accessed using Pegasus tracking software, which turns victims’ mobile phones into covert surveillance tools against users.
NSO has also been sued by Apple, which accuses the Israeli company of violating its terms of use and service agreement.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
