Meta Platforms has secured a $168 million verdict against Israeli surveillance company NSO Group, marking a historic legal victory in the global fight against commercial spyware.
The ruling follows a six-year legal battle over NSO’s unlawful exploitation of a WhatsApp vulnerability, which allowed the installation of Pegasus spyware on users' devices.
On Tuesday, a California jury awarded Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167.3 million in punitive damages.
"This verdict is a major step for digital privacy and accountability," Meta said in a statement.
The company announced it will donate the awarded damages to organizations defending digital rights and fighting surveillance abuse.
NSO Group, long criticized for selling spyware to regimes with poor human rights records, said it would consider legal options, including an appeal.
Its client list includes countries such as Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Uzbekistan.
The lawsuit gained traction after the US Supreme Court rejected NSO's claim to sovereign immunity, ruling that private surveillance companies cannot shield themselves behind government clients.
Court proceedings revealed NSO’s advanced technical operations, including a 140-person research team with a $50 million budget.
However, the trial was marred by NSO’s repeated failure to comply with discovery orders, with reports that Israeli officials seized key documents.
The case sets a precedent for tech companies holding spyware vendors accountable under US computer fraud laws and signals a coordinated pushback by the tech industry against the commercial surveillance sector.
Privacy advocates hailed the decision as a turning point.
“This sends a clear message to spyware firms: abuse has consequences,” said Natalia Krapiva of Access Now.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ