A California court has mandated NSO Group to pay $167.25 million in punitive damages, along with $444,719 in compensatory damages, after finding it responsible for facilitating state-sponsored hacks on WhatsApp users. The judgment follows a ruling favoring Meta, which demonstrated that NSO's spyware, Pegasus, had exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp's voice calling feature. The case raises important questions about the accountability of technology firms in the face of misuse by governmental clients, as NSO insists it performed due diligence with its customers despite being implicated in various surveillances, including heinous acts like murder.
A California court has ordered NSO Group to pay over $167 million for enabling state-sponsored hacks of WhatsApp users, marking a significant legal victory for Meta.
This ruling underscores the importance of accountability in the tech sector, especially concerning the misuse of surveillance tools by government actors against private citizens.
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