Google, others back Facebook lawsuit over surveillance tool | Tech News

Google, others back Facebook lawsuit over surveillance tool

Facebook has accused NSO of using a since-closed vulnerability in the messaging service to install spyware on the phones of at least 1,400 users.

By:BLOOMBERG
| Updated on: Aug 21 2022, 13:48 IST
The tech companies urged the appeals court to treat NSO like any other company doing business in the US In their brief. 
The tech companies urged the appeals court to treat NSO like any other company doing business in the US In their brief.  (Pixabay)

Google, Microsoft and other tech giants asked for permission to join Facebook's legal fight against an Israeli company that the social media company accuses of installing malware on the phones of unsuspecting users.

The companies asked the federal appeals court in San Francisco on Monday to let them file a motion in support of a lawsuit that WhatsApp, Facebook's messaging service, brought last year against NSO Group.

You may be interested in

MobilesTablets Laptops
OnePlus 10 Pro
  • Volcanic Black
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
48% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
  • Green
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
48% OFF
Samsung Galaxy S22
  • Green
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage
7% OFF
Google Pixel 7 5G
  • Obsidian
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB Storage

WhatsApp accused the spyware maker of using a since-closed vulnerability in the messaging service to install spyware on the phones of at least 1,400 users. The spyware allowed NSO to surreptitiously collect data from users' phones, according to the suit.

Also read
Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here.

Allowing companies like NSO to deploy cyber-surveillance tools across U.S. systems creates large-scale, systemic cybersecurity risk, the tech companies said in the brief at the appeals court.

Also Read: Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Dell join legal battle against hacking company NSO

NSO says it can't be sued in a US court because it was doing its work as an agent of foreign governments and so is entitled to foreign sovereign immunity.

US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, in July denied NSO's request to dismiss the lawsuit.

The tech companies urged the appeals court to treat NSO like any other company doing business in the US In their brief, the companies described NSO's cyber-surveillance tools as “dangerous” and said they could be “exploited by malicious actors other than the initial customer to cripple infrastructure, commit large-scale financial crime, or cause other catastrophic damage.”

Google and Microsoft were joined in their request by Cisco, GitHub, LinkedIn, VMware, and the lobbying group, the Internet Association.

Reuters reported on the filing earlier.

Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Published Date: 22 Dec, 10:58 IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS