A permanent injunction requested by WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has been granted by a federal judge, preventing NSO Group, an Israeli cyberintelligence firm, from targeting users of the messaging app. Concurrently, the judge significantly decreased the penalty that NSO Group is required to give Meta.
Following a 2019 operation targeting over 1,400 WhatsApp users, including journalists and human rights advocates, a jury determined earlier this year that the cyberintelligence company would be required to compensate Meta by more than $167 million.
However, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton determined on Friday that the punitive damages ratio was limited to 9 to 1 because the court lacked sufficient evidence to conclude that NSO Group’s conduct was “particularly egregious,” lowering the payment to roughly $4 million.
Will Cathart, Head of WhatsApp, stated in a statement given to Courthouse News Service that the judgement “prohibits spyware manufacturer NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our worldwide users again.”
Cathart stated, “We appreciate this decision, which follows six years of legal action to hold NSO responsible for targeting civil society members.”
NSO Group has recently verified that it is being purchased by American investors.
