US court finds Pegasus spyware maker liable for unauthorised surveillance of 1,400 WhatsApp users
The NSO Group violated federal legislation against unauthorised access to computers, networks and other digital information, said the court.
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A district court in the United States on Friday held Israeli cyber intelligence company NSO Group liable for unauthorised surveillance of 1,400 users of the messaging application WhatsApp using its spyware Pegasus in 2019, reported Reuters.
WhatsApp, owned by United States-based technology company Meta, has been locked in a legal battle with the Israeli firm since 2019. The messaging platform has alleged that the NSO Group’s spyware had been used against 1,400 users of the application over a two-week period in April and May 2019.
In the judgement on Friday, Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said that NSO Group violated sections of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act.
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is a federal legislation that criminalises unauthorised access to computers, networks and other digital information. The California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act is the state equivalent of the same law.
Hamilton also said that the Israeli firm violated WhatsApp’s terms of service.
Earlier this year, Hamilton ordered the Israeli firm to hand over the code of Pegasus and its other spyware products to WhatsApp as part of the legal proceeding.
On Friday, the judge said that NSO Group dragged its feet throughout the litigation and noted that it...
