WhatsApp’s parent company accuses NSO of hacking into its servers and installing Pegasus software on 1,400 users’ mobile phones through the WhatsApp app without their knowledge.
The US Supreme Court has allowed Meta’s lawsuit against the Israeli company NSO, which is accused of using WhatsApp servers to install the Pegasus tracking software, to go forward.
NSO had appealed to the US Supreme Court, arguing that because it acted on behalf of foreign governments, it should be entitled to immunity. With this action, NSO aspired to avoid the lawsuit that Meta (it still had the distinctive name Facebook at the time) filed in October 2019, in a federal court in California.
But the US Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal, thus rejecting the request of the Israeli company.
WhatsApp’s parent company accuses NSO of hacking into its servers and installing Pegasus software on 1,400 users’ mobile phones through the WhatsApp app without their knowledge.
Several months later, the American newspaper Wall Street Journal revealed that NSO acted on behalf of European governments. They are said to have been tracking a suspect as part of an investigation against the Islamic State jihadist group, who was preparing a terrorist attack over the Christmas period.
“We are grateful to the Supreme Court for rejecting NSO’s groundless appeal,” Meta said in a statement sent to AFP. “We strongly believe that she violated American law and must be held accountable for her illegal actions,” he added.
In contrast, an NSO spokesperson pointed out that Meta has repeatedly blocked investigations by the authorities into the use of the WhatsApp application in cases of criminal and terrorist acts, expressing confidence that “justice will prove that the use of Pegasus by our customers was legal.”
The Israeli company NSO has been accused for several years of facilitating government surveillance of militants, opposition activists, journalists and activists.
In November 2021, Apple sued NSO in federal court in California, accusing the Israeli company of secretly installing Pegasus tracking software on iPhones.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
