Pegasus Hacking Controversy: US Court sentences NSO Group, big victory for WhatsApp

By Sandy Verma On Dec 21, 2024

Pegasus Hacking Controversy : Meta-owned WhatsApp has won an important legal victory against Israeli company NSO Group. A federal judge in California, US, has convicted NSO Group of targeting the devices of about 1,400 WhatsApp users through Pegasus spyware.

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What is the whole matter?

WhatsApp had sued NSO Group in 2019, alleging that in May 2019, the company took advantage of a bug in WhatsApp to infect the phones of about 1,400 people with Pegasus spyware. These people included journalists, human rights activists and dissidents. This spyware gained illegal access to WhatsApp servers and installed spying software on users' devices, making it possible to monitor their conversations and data.

court decision

On Friday, District Judge Phyllis Hamilton, based in Oakland, California, ruled in favor of WhatsApp and found NSO guilty of hacking and breach of contract. The court said that now only the question of compensation will be heard in this case.

This ruling is a huge win for privacy.
We spent five years presenting our case because we firmly believe that spyware companies could not hide behind immunity or avoid accountability for their unlawful actions.
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Surveillance companies should be on notice that illegal spying will…
— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) December 21, 2024

WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart called the decision a “major victory for privacy.” He said that we spent five years proving this case because we believe that spying companies cannot escape accountability for their illegal actions. He also said that illegal surveillance will not be tolerated and WhatsApp will always strive to protect people's privacy.