Overview

• U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton issued a permanent injunction blocking NSO from using or supplying exploits against WhatsApp and ordered deletion of code tied to Meta’s platforms.
• The court found NSO’s conduct causes ongoing, irreparable harm to WhatsApp’s privacy promise, a conclusion WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart publicly welcomed.
• Punitive damages set by a May jury were reduced from roughly $167 million to about $4 million after the court applied a capped punitive ratio and deemed the original sum excessive.
• Meta’s bid to extend the injunction to Facebook, Instagram and Threads was rejected due to insufficient evidence of similar harms on those services.
• NSO has argued the WhatsApp ban could endanger its business model, and multiple outlets report a recent acquisition of a controlling stake in the company by U.S. investors.