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.
After a jury initially ordered NSO Group to pay Meta over $167 million for a 2019 campaign targeting over 1,400 WhatsApp users, Judge Phyllis Hamilton capped the punitive damages ratio at 9 to 1, lowering the payment to around $4 million due to insufficient evidence of egregious behavior.
In response to the ruling, WhatsApp’s Head Will Cathart expressed approval, stating that the decision effectively prohibits NSO from targeting WhatsApp and its global users in the future.
Cathart further praised the decision as a culmination of six years of legal action aimed at holding NSO accountable for its targeting of civil society members.
NSO Group has recently announced its acquisition by U.S. investors.
