Israel reportedly attempted to block US lawsuit against NSO's pegasus spyware

Israel allegedly attempted to obstruct a 2019 US lawsuit against NSO Group over its Pegasus spyware, which has been used by some governments for surveillance. A leaked court order obtained by the nonprofit Forbidden Stories reveals that Israel purportedly seized NSO’s Pegasus documents in July 2020 to prevent compliance with WhatsApp’s demand for internal files. WhatsApp accused NSO of exploiting a vulnerability to monitor over 1,400 users in just two weeks.

The Guardian and other outlets, including Amnesty International, have reviewed emails and documents acquired by the hacktivist group Distributed Denial of Secrets. It appears Israeli officials explored ways to block WhatsApp from accessing classified information, while NSO considered requesting a government order to prevent the release of some data.

Israeli officials reportedly met with NSO a day after WhatsApp’s June 2020 data request, and the government later obtained a search warrant to seize files. Despite this, WhatsApp has only received 17 documents from NSO as of this year. NSO, which has not commented on the latest allegations, has previously denied WhatsApp’s claims. Israel’s Ministry of Justice has denied any attempt to obstruct the lawsuit.

NSO's Pegasus spyware, capable of silently recording calls and transferring messages and photos, has been linked to authoritarian regimes targeting dissenters. NSO is also facing legal action from Apple for reportedly enabling spyware on iPhones. The leaked information suggests that Israel may have been working to shield NSO and obscure its involvement with the spyware.