U.S. Court Bars NSO Group from Targeting WhatsApp, Slashes Damages to $4M
A U.S. court has issued a permanent injunction against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, forbidding it from targeting WhatsApp users following a long legal battle with Meta Platforms.
Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the U.S. District Court ruled that NSO’s misuse of its Pegasus spyware caused “irreparable harm” by reverse-engineering and exploiting WhatsApp.
The court also cut the damages owed by NSO from approximately $167 million to just $4 million, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to justify the larger penalty.
Meta’s WhatsApp chief, Will Cathcart, called the ruling a “victory for civil society”, saying the decision sends a message about accountability in digital surveillance. NSO responded that the injunction does not affect its sales to vetted government customers, but warned the ruling threatens its business’s viability.
The case marks a major step in the fight against commercial spyware and raises fresh questions about encryption, privacy and the responsibility of tech platforms to protect users worldwide.
