"A federal judge has granted Meta-owned WhatsApp's request for a permanent injunction blocking Israeli cyberintelligence company NSO Group from targeting the messaging app's users. At the same time, the judge dramatically reduced the fine that NSO Group must pay to Meta. Earlier this year, a jury decided that the cyberintelligence company would have to pay Meta more than $167 million following a 2019 campaign that targeted more than 1,400 WhatsApp users, including human rights activists and journalists."
"However, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled Friday that because the court did not have enough evidence to determine that NSO Group's behavior was "particularly egregious," the punitive damages ratio was capped at 9 to 1, reducing the payment to around $4 million. In a statement provided to Courthouse News Service, Head of WhatsApp Will Cathart said the ruling "bans spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and our global users again.""
A federal judge granted a permanent injunction preventing NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users while significantly lowering the damages NSO must pay. A jury had earlier awarded Meta more than $167 million for a 2019 campaign that targeted over 1,400 WhatsApp users, including human rights activists and journalists. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton found insufficient evidence that NSO's conduct was "particularly egregious," and capped punitive damages at a 9-to-1 ratio, reducing the award to about $4 million. WhatsApp leadership said the ruling bans NSO from targeting WhatsApp and noted efforts to hold NSO accountable. NSO confirmed a pending acquisition by U.S. investors.
Read at TechCrunch
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