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US judge: WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO can proceed
Source: The Guardian
US judge: WhatsApp lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO can proceed
NSO Group was sued last year by messaging app owned by Facebook
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
@skirchy
Fri 17 Jul 2020 17.27 BST
Last modified on Fri 17 Jul 2020 17.52 BST
An Israeli company whose spyware has been used to target journalists in India, politicians in Spain, and human rights activists in Morocco may soon be forced to divulge information about its government clients and practices after a judge in California ruled that a lawsuit against the company could proceed.
NSO Group was sued by WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, last year, after the popular messaging app accused the company of sending malware to 1,400 of its users over a two-week period and targeting their mobile phones.
In a ruling that the case could proceed in a US district court in California, Judge Phyllis Hamilton said she had not been entirely persuaded by NSO Group’s argument that it had no role in the targeting of WhatsApp’s users. Instead, Judge Hamilton said it appeared that NSO Group “retained some role” in the targeting of individuals, “even if it was at the direction of their customers”. The case will now proceed to discovery, in which both sides can request documents and records.
WhatsApp, which has said that 100 members of civil society from around the world were targeted in the “unlawful” 2019 attack, said it was pleased with the court’s decision.
“The decision also confirms that WhatsApp will be able to obtain relevant documents and other information about NSO’s practices,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said.
-snip-
NSO Group was sued last year by messaging app owned by Facebook
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington
@skirchy
Fri 17 Jul 2020 17.27 BST
Last modified on Fri 17 Jul 2020 17.52 BST
An Israeli company whose spyware has been used to target journalists in India, politicians in Spain, and human rights activists in Morocco may soon be forced to divulge information about its government clients and practices after a judge in California ruled that a lawsuit against the company could proceed.
NSO Group was sued by WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, last year, after the popular messaging app accused the company of sending malware to 1,400 of its users over a two-week period and targeting their mobile phones.
In a ruling that the case could proceed in a US district court in California, Judge Phyllis Hamilton said she had not been entirely persuaded by NSO Group’s argument that it had no role in the targeting of WhatsApp’s users. Instead, Judge Hamilton said it appeared that NSO Group “retained some role” in the targeting of individuals, “even if it was at the direction of their customers”. The case will now proceed to discovery, in which both sides can request documents and records.
WhatsApp, which has said that 100 members of civil society from around the world were targeted in the “unlawful” 2019 attack, said it was pleased with the court’s decision.
“The decision also confirms that WhatsApp will be able to obtain relevant documents and other information about NSO’s practices,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jul/17/us-judge-whatsapp-lawsuit-against-israeli-spyware-firm-nso-can-proceed
