Spy Program Fined $170 Million

The federal court in the United States has ordered the Israeli NSO Group, the developer of the Pegasus spy program, to pay nearly $170 million to the messaging service WhatsApp and its parent company Meta (Facebook). According to Politico, this compensation is for the fact that the developments of NSO Group were used to hack 1,400 WhatsApp accounts.

“Today's ruling in the WhatsApp case is an important step for privacy and security as it represents a first victory against the illegal development and use of spyware that threatens everyone’s safety and personal life,” stated a comment posted on Meta's website.

The hacking of the 1,400 user accounts, many of which were occupied by human rights defenders, occurred in 2019. Hackers exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp's video call system. When this became known, the messenger's owning company turned to the court. Apple also filed a lawsuit against NSO Group for using spyware against its users; however, last year, the company retracted the lawsuit, deciding that it could reveal sensitive data of Apple users.

NSO Group has announced that it is considering filing an appeal. “We are deeply convinced that our technology plays a vital role in preventing serious crimes and combating terrorism, and that it is used responsibly by authorized state entities,” said a spokesperson for the Israeli company.

In 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on NSO Group, as Pegasus has been used worldwide to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, and dissidents. The European Parliament has established a committee to investigate the use of Pegasus in EU countries. NSO Group claims that it sells its equipment only to government clients. Pegasus has been used multiple times to target the phones of Russian and Belarusian journalists and activists residing in the EU.