Discussion

• @kimlanelaw Kim Lane Scheppele on bluesky

  This is huge!  Accountability for Pegasus spyware at last! [embedded post]

• @davidakaye David Kaye on bluesky

  cannot overstate the importance of this development, a court holding NSO Group accountable for its reckless use of pegasus spyware.  —  🧵 by @jsrailton.bsky.social, who knows this work and the stakes as well as anyone 👇 [embedded post]

• @natynettle @natynettle on bluesky

  NSO to pay almost 168 million in damages!  —  Congrats to WhatsApp on this historic (yes, historic) jury verdict against NSO Group!  —  This is also a win for all the researchers, advocates & victims who have been tirelessly exposing NSO's abuses & advocating for justice!  —  www…

• @kschake Kori Schake on bluesky

  Important thread from @jsrailton.bsky.social on Meta doing something good: revealing and fighting spyware.  [embedded post]

• @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com @bmeson.lucyparsonslabs.com on bluesky

  For over a decade, NSO made millions selling spyware to repressive regimes.  Finally, it was blacklisted by the US Government and now has been hit with an astronomical fee against it.  —  Remember, tech fascism isn't inevitable and can be fought against.  [embedded post]

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on bluesky

  12/ OH WOW #WhatsApp publishes the transcribed NSO Group Depositions.  —  An unprecedented view for investigators into NSO's business, exploit development, operations & financials.  —  Nothing like this has ever been made public about any spyware company.  —  Links at bottom: abo…

• @wcathcart Will Cathcart on x

  Our case against spyware developer NSO made history when the court found that they broke both federal and state laws in the United States in December. And the jury's verdict today to punish NSO is a critical deterrent to the spyware industry against their illegal acts aimed at

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  6/ Back in 2019 no country had sanctioned NSO Group... There had been no parliamentary hearings, no hearings in congress, no serious investigations.  WhatsApp's lawsuit helped carry momentum at a critical time, and showed governments that their tech sectors were in the crosshairs…

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  Regular people don't like companies that help dictators hack dissidents. NSO had all the fancy legal arguments. All the PR spin. But when the conduct got laid bare a jury sent a massive Monsanto-style punitive damages signal... Other spyware companies, you may be next.

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  BREAKING: jury awards massive $167 million in punitive damages against spyware company NSO Group. Precedent-setting win against the notorious #Pegasus spyware maker. Congratulations to @WhatsApp on sticking this case through since 2019. Some thoughts 1/

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  5/ Prior to @WhatsApp engaging, NSO acted the playground bully.  Targeting victims that dared speak up & researchers like us.  Suddenly, the bully met their match.  To the eternal credit of leadership at Meta & WhatsApp, they stuck this fight out & carried this case across the fi…

• @accessnow @accessnow on x

  A major win for privacy! Israeli spyware company NSO has been ordered to pay $168 million in damages for targeting @WhatsApp with Pegasus spyware. Access Now and partners will continue to advocate for NSO to be held accountable for its actions. https://www.accessnow.org/...

• @iampaulgrewal @iampaulgrewal on x

  Congrats to @wcathcart and the incredible litigation team at @Meta. They had the vision and the stomach to take this all way to verdict— no small feat.

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  @WhatsApp @citizenlab 13/ For me personally, watching a jury of regular citizens see right through NSO's mendacity & hypocrisy and to the need to protect privacy... amazing.

• @jim_goblue Ji〽️ Shaffer on x

  This is important that they did not settle out of court.  This sets a precedent so anyone can sue easily, if this happens again.  It's a huge deterrent.

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  7/ WhatsApp's choice to notify was also hugely consequential.  A LOT of cases were first surfaced from these notifications.  With dissidents around the world suddenly learning that dictators were snooping in their phones...with NSO Group's help.  They also set the tone for notifi…

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  @WhatsApp @citizenlab 15/ WHOA: @whatsapp states intention to donate to support digital rights groups working to support targets of spyware attacks. https://about.fb.com/... [image]

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  @WhatsApp @citizenlab 14/ OH WOW, @WhatsApp is publishing the transcribed NSO Group Depositions. This is an unprecedented view for investigators into NSO's business, exploit development, operations & financials. Nothing like this has ever been made public about any spyware compan…

• @carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x

  Big case. Big win. Big deal.

• @jimstewartson @jimstewartson on x

  👀 The guy who developed Pegasus is currently the CTO of international terrorist Erik Prince's “Unplugged” crime phone. Also, NSO's parent company OSY paid Mike Flynn $100,000 for some mysterious reason.

• @rondeibert @rondeibert on x

  Big win against a big bully. We have been through so much leading up to this but only a fraction of what countless victims of NSO's malicious mercenary services provided to ruthless autocrats and corrupt security agencies. Never Let Bullies Win

• @richards1052 Tikun Olam on x

  This is a great day. One of the most dangerous spyware companies in the world, the Israeli NSO group & its toxic product, Pegasus, lost a major case and will have to pay Meta $168-million for hacking 1,400 Whatsapp customers. https://www.accessnow.org/...

• @wcathcart Will Cathcart on x

  This trial also exposed that WhatsApp was far from NSO's only target — this is an industry-wide threat and it'll take all of us to defend against it.

• @wcathcart Will Cathcart on x

  The fight isn't over. Our next step is to secure a court order to prevent NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp again.

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  2/ After years of every trick & delay tactic it only took a California jury one days deliberation to the heart of the matter: NSO makes millions hacking mostly-🇺🇸American tech companies... so that dictators can hack dissidents. Their conduct deserved to be punished.

• @jsrailton John Scott-Railton on x

  3/ NSO Group emerges from the trial severely damaged. The verdict ($167,256,000 punitive, $440K+ compensatory) is big enough to make your eyes water. The case is ALSO a huge blow to NSO's secrecy, with their business splashed all over a courtroom. This will scare customers...

• @mikeisaac Rat King on x

  wow. a jury found that NSO group must pay $167 million in punitive damages and nearly half a million in compensatory damages to WhatsApp for violating anti-hacking laws and breaching WhatsApp's terms of service by deploying the Pegasus spyware on Meta's servers

• @swiftstories Mike Swift on x

  A pretty amazing $168 million in punitive damages awarded against NSO for using @WhatsApp as a vessel to install Pegasus spyware. My @mlexclusive colleague @xy0o0 has the details: [image]

• r/privacy r on reddit

  Jury orders Israel's NSO Group to pay $167 million for hacking thousands of WhatsApp users