Meta Wins $168M Verdict Against NSO Over Spyware

Meta Platforms won a $168 million verdict against Israeli spyware maker NSO Group after a six-year legal battle over NSO's unauthorized hacking of more than 1,400 WhatsApp users, including journalists and human rights activists. A California jury awarded Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167.3 million in punitive damages, finding that NSO illegally exploited a WhatsApp vulnerability to install Pegasus spyware. This marks the first major financial penalty against a surveillance technology company for such abuses and is considered a significant deterrent to the spyware industry. NSO, which argues its software is used to combat crime and terrorism, plans to appeal the decision, claiming the court ignored the broader security benefits of its technology. The case, which reached the U.S. Supreme Court, is likely to have major implications for spyware vendor accountability and the global surveillance versus privacy debate. WhatsApp leadership stated that the ruling highlights the risks of unchecked surveillance technology.