Judge denies WhatsApp contempt bid over alleged NSO injunction breach
Original title: Judge denies WhatsApp’s bid to hold spyware maker in contempt for allegedly targeting users
The court said Meta’s evidence on 23 suspect accounts was not clear and convincing enough to punish NSO.
A Northern California federal judge ruled Friday that WhatsApp failed to prove NSO Group violated a 2025 injunction barring use of WhatsApp infrastructure for snooping. Judge Phyllis Hamilton had previously fined NSO $4.4 million over Pegasus targeting of 1,400 users in 2019, but rejected WhatsApp’s June contempt appeal. WhatsApp relied on one Meta investigator’s declaration and withheld detection details it said would help spyware makers.
Unconfirmed: The alleged post-injunction targeting is unproven; the judge found WhatsApp’s evidence insufficient.
- Hamilton said plaintiffs limited detail in their supporting evidence.
- The declaration alleged 23 accounts matched prior NSO testing signatures.
- Apple dropped its NSO suit in September 2024 over exposure risk.
- Access Now warned forced disclosure could aid spyware detection evasion.
- WhatsApp and NSO did not immediately comment.
- Vendors
- Meta
- Products
- Threat actors
- NSO Group
- Malware
- Pegasus
- Organizations
- Access Now
From the original article
2 min read at therecord.mediaWhatsApp argued that NSO Group violated a 2025 injunction against using the messaging app to spread spyware. A federal judge said WhatsApp hurt its case by not revealing enough information.
therecord.media
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