Apple case accuses NSO Group of using Pegasus spy software to hack weapons and incurring human rights abuses.
Apple Inc has filed a lawsuit in the United States against the Israeli company NSO Group, accusing the company of misusing its funds. Pegasus spyware hack Apple users’ devices.
In a lawsuit filed by a federal court in the U.S. on Tuesday, Apple called the NSO “amoral 21st-century mercenaries” who have used cyber-surveillance technology to violate human rights.
The Israeli company sparked outrage earlier this year investigated and media outlets around the world have shown that Pegasus was manipulated by security forces and governmental authorities against journalists and freedom fighters in several countries.
“Government-sponsored players as an NSO team spend millions of dollars on advanced monitoring technology without proper response. That needs to change,” said Craig Federighi, vice president of Apple engineering software.
Apple’s complaint came just weeks after its appeal to the US the court ruled that WhatsApp may continue its lawsuit against the NSO, rejecting the efforts of an Israeli business company claiming to be secure because its customers are government agencies.
In early November, Biden officials also joined he was punished against the NSO group for what he called “international oppression”.
The Israeli company has insisted that its products were designed to target terrorists and “terrorists”, and governments accused of using the company’s spy programs against human rights activists have also condemned the allegations.
The NSO did not respond promptly to Al Jazeera’s request for comment Tuesday.
Apple’s lawsuit seeks anonymity, as well as a court order banning the NSO from using Apple’s servers and equipment and forcing the company to remove the stolen items.
“The NSO evils have ruined Apple’s assets, harmed Apple users and damaged Apple’s business and its advantages,” he read in the complaint.
“The NSO marketing and malpractice also requires Apple to spend thousands of hours investigating what happened, identifying the damage, determining the extent of the damage and victimization, and developing and deploying key repairs and patches.”
Apple has announced a patch that it says will protect users from the threats previously used by the NSO.
An Israeli company said its spyware could not affect US users, but Apple insisted that US nationals’ mobile devices, which “could cross international borders”, had been stolen.
It cited recent findings that Pegasus spy software was available on the phones 6 Palestine human rights activists, including one US citizen.
In a similar lawsuit filed by Apple, Apple said it would pay $ 10m and possible damages from the lawsuit to cybercrime.
Ron Deibert, director of Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which has helped uncover some of the NSO’s activities, thanked Apple for its case.
“Mercenary intelligence companies such as the NSO Group have helped to eradicate the worst human rights abuses in the world and to oppress countries, while enriching themselves and their sellers,” Deibert said in a statement released by Apple.
