WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli firm NSO Group given green light by US judge

A US count has passed an order allowing WhatsApp to move forward with its case against an Israeli company for allegedly targeting 1,400 users with malware over two weeks in 2019. According to reports, it is believed that spyware produced by the Israeli firm NSO Group was used to target various groups of people around the world, such as journalists, human rights defenders, and even politicians.

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NSO could be forced to reveal clients

According to reports, Judge Phyllis Hamilton, in her ruling on the cases, stated that she was not convinced by NSO Group’s claims and arguments that it had no hand in targeting WhatsApp users. Moving forward in the trial, the NSO Group might be forced to reveal its clients and make the list public.

The judge also added that even if NSO was operating at the direction of its customer, it still appeared to have a hand in targeting WhatsApp users. As per reports, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the Facebook-owned venture was please with the court's decision and will now be able to uncover the practices of NSO Group.

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The NSO Group has repeatedly argued that the company only sells spyware to governments and law enforcement agencies so that they may track terrorists and protect their national security.

Even in the face of criticism from privacy advocates, the company has claimed that law enforcement agencies are facing difficulties due to the proliferation of encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp.

The law firm King & Spalding has reportedly been hired by the NSO group to represent them. Among the company’s legal team is Rod Rosenstein, Trump administration's former attorney general. The NSO Group has reportedly had multiple government clients like Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates who have used spyware to target political opponents and human rights, campaigners.

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