Technology
Microsoft and Google join Facebook in the court battle against the notorious spyware vendor.
A coalition of high-profile tech firms, including Microsoft, Google, Cisco and VMWare, filed an amicus brief in favor of Facebook's legal action against the NSO Group, Microsoft reported. Facebook-owned WhatsApp sued the spyware vendor last year, claiming that its software was used to hack 1,400 computers via a chat application loophole. Other entities involved in the filing include the Internet Association and the GitHub and LinkedIn divisions of Microsoft.
In response to Facebook's complaint last year, the NSO Organization claimed that it should profit from "sovereign immunity," reports Reuters, as it sells its software to foreign governments. In July, however, the court rejected his motion to cancel the case. Now the NSO Party is appealing to reverse the decision, and it is this challenge move that is being held back by Microsoft and others.
In a blog post titled Cyber Mercenaries Don't Deserve Immunity, Microsoft explains three reasons why it thinks the actions of the NSO Community are important and why it doesn't deserve the immunity it wants. We believe that the business model of the NSO Group is dangerous and that such immunity would enable it and other PSOAs to continue their dangerous business without legal rules, responsibilities or consequences, said Microsoft's message.
Microsoft claims that the "Arms" of the NSO Community could be exceedingly risky if they fell into the wrong hands. It is claimed that these resources are not subject to the same restrictions as they are made by commercial firms rather than by national security forces. Governments tend to think about their diplomatic ties to keep their own residents secure, while private corporations do not. Microsoft claims that these techniques are a threat to civil rights, following allegations that they have been exploited by journalists and human rights advocates.
The NSO Community did not respond immediately to a request for feedback. In the past, the firm has argued that the platform is being used by federal law enforcement authorities to address organized crime and extremism. It says it investigates any complaints of abuse of its goods.
Over the years, several sources have reported that NSO Community spyware has been used against targets ranging from journalists to political activists. During the weekend, the Citizen Lab study alleged that its software was used to hack the phones of thousands of Al Jazeera staff, and it was previously reported that the software was used to attack Spanish politicians and Mexican journalists, among others.
