US court bars Israeli spyware firm from targeting WhatsApp users

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ProtonPunk

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US court blocks Israeli spyware firm from targeting WhatsApp users, slashes damages award.

A US district judge has blocked NSO Group, an Israeli firm infamous for developing spyware used to target journalists and human rights activists, from exploiting WhatsApp's messaging service. In a significant ruling on Friday, Judge Phyllis Hamilton granted Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, an injunction barring NSO from targeting its users.

The verdict, which marks a major victory for Meta, states that NSO's software causes "direct harm" but slashed an initial damages award of $168m to just $4m. The ruling also emphasized that the spyware maker's conduct serves to defeat one of WhatsApp's key purposes: privacy.

According to the court documents, NSO reverse-engineered WhatsApp code to stealthily install its spyware Pegasus on users' phones and repeatedly redesigned it to escape detection and bypass security fixes. Pegasus allows operators to remotely embed spyware in devices, often used by law enforcement agencies but also exploited by nation-states with poor human rights records to target critics.

Meta filed a lawsuit against NSO in 2019, accusing the firm of exploiting its encrypted messaging service to target journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists. The court's decision is seen as a major win for WhatsApp and Meta, setting an important precedent that there are serious consequences for attacking an American company.

While an initial request to extend the injunction to other platforms was denied, the ruling still holds significant implications for NSO Group, effectively blocking its ability to target WhatsApp users.
 
just got word about this US court ruling 🤝 and i gotta say, it's a huge win for whatsapp and meta! finally, someone is holding nsogroup accountable for their shady spyware tactics 😒. $4m damages seem like a slap on the wrist, but at least they're being forced to acknowledge that their actions cause direct harm 💯. i mean, who targets journalists and human rights activists with spyware? it's just not right 🙅‍♂️. this ruling sets a solid precedent for protecting users' privacy and holding companies like nsogroup responsible for their actions 🔒. kudos to whatsapp and meta for fighting back against these cyberbullies 💪.
 
🤔 I'm low-key relieved that NSO Group won't be targeting WhatsApp users anymore... I mean, who wants their messages being monitored by a shady Israeli firm? 🤷‍♀️ The fact that they had to slash the damages award from $168m to just $4m is also kinda sweet justice, tbh. It's like, Meta stood up for itself and its users, and now NSO has to deal with the consequences of their actions. 💯 And can we talk about how messed up it is that they even tried to reverse-engineer WhatsApp code in the first place? 🤖 Like, what's next? Trying to hack into our Netflix accounts or something? 😂
 
I'm so stoked about this! 🤩 finally some justice for WhatsApp users 🙌 they can't just install spyware on our phones without consent 😒 it's crazy how NSO Group thought they could get away with it all these years 👀 and now we know the truth 💯 that's why I'll never be downloading any software from them again 🚫 my phone is already encrypted, no need for anything extra 🔒
 
😒 come on, a $4m damages award? that's not even enough to cover the time and effort they wasted trying to hack into WhatsApp... i mean, what's the point of even having laws if corporations can just waltz in and try to exploit people like this? 🤖 meta should've taken them down from the start and saved everyone the trouble... NSO Group is basically a malware company, it's only surprising it took so long for someone to take action against them 🚫
 
🤯 I'm so relieved that a US court is finally taking action against these shady spyware firms! Like, who targets journalists and human rights activists on their phones? It's such an invasion of personal space and can be super scary. I'm glad Meta took them to court and got some serious changes made 🙌. The damage award isn't even close to what it should've been, but at least it's a start 💸.

And let's talk about WhatsApp's security – I know we all trust it with our personal info, but this ruling shows that there are still consequences for compromising user safety 🚨. It's all about striking the right balance between tech companies' freedom to operate and their responsibility to keep us safe online 🤝.

NSO Group needs to shape up ASAP because if they can't respect users' privacy, someone else will 💥. We need more transparency and accountability in the industry, imo 😊
 
omg can u believe this?? 😲 nso group is literally a menace and now they're being blocked from targeting whatsapp users!!! 🚫💥 it's like, what even is the point of having spyware if u cant use it on whatsapp lol 😂 but seriously tho, this ruling is huge for whatsapp and meta, its like they finally got some justice after all those journalists and activists were targeted by nso group. $168m to $4m is still a lot of money though 🤑 i mean who pays that kind of damages?? anywayz, i'm glad this happened 'cause we need more protection from ppl like nso group who are just trying to spy on people all the time 💯
 
This is crazy! 🤯 An Israeli spyware firm gets blocked from targeting WhatsApp users and it's a huge win for Meta and WhatsApp. I mean, who wants their phone to be turned into a spy machine? 😱 It's like, you can't just mess with people's private messages and expect to get away with it.

So, NSO Group is basically doing this reverse-engineering thing where they're sneaking into WhatsApp's code to install this spyware Pegasus on users' phones. Like, what even is the point of that? 🤔 It's just so shady. And the fact that the court has slapped them with a $4m damages award instead of $168m is still pretty harsh.

I guess this ruling does set an important precedent for big tech companies to protect their users' privacy. But at the same time, it's like, can't we just have some peace and quiet on our phones without being surveilled? 🙄 I mean, I know law enforcement agencies might need to track down bad guys or whatever, but this is just taking it too far.
 
I'm actually kinda shocked about this ruling 🤯. I mean, we've all heard of these spyware firms like NSO Group and how they're used to target journalists and activists. It's like, who gives them the green light to do that? And now it seems like WhatsApp is finally pushing back 💪. The $4m damages award doesn't seem like a lot considering the harm they've caused, but I guess you can't put a price on people's safety and freedom 🕊️.

It's also interesting to see how this affects other platforms. I mean, if NSO Group is blocked from targeting WhatsApp users, what's to stop them from targeting others? It's like, we need more of these kinds of rulings, not just for WhatsApp but for all the other platforms out there 🤔.

Anyway, I'm just glad that Meta and WhatsApp are taking a stand against these cyberbullies 💯. It's about time someone did!
 
omg u no how frustrating it is 2 see these big corps like NSO group get away w/ exploiting ppl's privacy 🤯! i mean, whata even is the point of havin a spyware if u cant even use it lol? anywayz, glad to c that meta got a major win over nsogroup & that its gonna b harder 4 them 2 get away w/ this kinda stuff in th future 😂. i think its high time we r equipping our devices w/ better security measures so these types of firms cant exploit us anymore 💻🚫
 
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