NSO Group Set to Be Blocked From WhatsApp Over Phone Hacking

NSO Group Technologies Ltd. will be banned from WhatsApp under a permanent injunction a federal judge in California issued in response to allegations that the Israeli spyware company repeatedly hacked the Meta Platforms unit.

Unless WhatsApp grants consent, the Wednesday order would block the Pegasus developer from creating accounts on, developing software that interacts with, or collecting data from the messaging service. Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of the US District Court for the Northern District of California previously reduced WhatsApp’s jury award to $4.4 million after ruling that the punitive damages for violating state and federal anti-hacking laws were excessive. ...