US Supreme Court says WhatsApp can sue Pegasus makers

Source: Deutsche Welle

US Supreme Court says WhatsApp can sue Pegasus makers

The creators of Pegasus spy software, Israel's NSO Group, argued that they were acting as agents of foreign officials, which would make them immune to Meta's lawsuit.

3 hours ago

Social media giant Meta Platforms Inc. can pursue its lawsuit against NSO Group over the Pegasus spyware scandal, the US Supreme Court decided on Monday.

The Israeli software company is facing accusations of installing Pegasus on servers used by WhatsApp messaging platform, owned by Meta, in 2019. NSO Group allegedly did this by exploiting a bug and without permission from the social media platform. The move has allowed for spying of some 1,400 WhatsApp users, including journalists, activists and dissidents by various governments.

NSO not entitled to immunity

Meta, previously Facebook, is now trying to block NSO Group from its platforms and also charge them for unspecified damages.

"NSO's spyware has enabled cyberattacks targeting human rights activists, journalists and government officials," Meta said following Monday's ruling. "We firmly believe that their operations violate US law and they must be held to account for their unlawful operations."

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