A federal judge has granted a request from Meta-owned WhatsApp for a permanent injunction. This order blocks the Israeli cyberintelligence company NSO Group from targeting users of the messaging application.
Earlier this year, a jury decided that NSO Group must pay Meta more than 167 million dollars. This ruling followed a 2019 spyware campaign that targeted over 1,400 WhatsApp users, a group that included human rights activists and journalists.
However, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has now dramatically reduced that fine. In a recent ruling, the judge stated the court did not have sufficient evidence to determine that NSO Group’s behavior was particularly egregious. As a result, the punitive damages ratio was capped, reducing the total payment to approximately four million dollars.
In a statement, Head of WhatsApp Will Cathart said the ruling bans the spyware maker NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp and its global users again. He added that the company applauds the decision, which comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting members of civil society.
Separately, NSO Group recently confirmed that it is being acquired by U.S. investors.