Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Netanyahu: If Lebanese Army takes steps to disarm Hezbollah, Israel will engage in reciprocal measures, including phased reduction of Israeli military presence in Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Photojournalist Houssam Al-Masri martyred, reporters Hatem Omar, Mohammad Ashraf Salameh injured in Israeli strike on Nasser Medical Complex.
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace

Citizen Lab being badgered by 'Israel's' NSO Group in court

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Intercept
  • 7 May 2024 15:11
4 Min Read

Citizen Lab's legal team has strongly opposed the idea of sharing raw research data with NSO, arguing that doing so could potentially put individuals who have already been targeted by NSO's activities at greater risk of harassment.

  • x
  • A person holding a phone showing the logo of Israeli spyware company NSO group. (AFP)
    A person holding a phone showing the logo of Israeli spyware company NSO group. (AFP)

NSO Group, an Israeli spyware firm known for its flagship product Pegasus, is attempting to gain insights into "how Citizen Lab conducted its analysis" through a lawsuit related to the WhatsApp exploit, The Intercept reported on Tuesday.

For years, cybersecurity researchers at Citizen Lab have been closely monitoring NSO Group, which has been blacklisted by the US government due to its sale of spyware for countries to surveil their citizens. In 2019, Citizen Lab reported discovering numerous instances where Pegasus was utilized to target the smartphones of journalists and human rights activists through a security vulnerability in WhatsApp.

This lawsuit, initiated in US federal court in 2019 by WhatsApp and Meta (formerly Facebook), said that NSO distributed Pegasus and other malware to roughly 1,400 devices worldwide. Despite ongoing efforts by NSO, the case has persistently withstood attempts for dismissal for over four years.

Citizen Lab stands firm: Refuses to share Pegasus investigation data with NSO

As the lawsuit progresses, NSO has adopted a new strategy: Repeatedly demanding that Citizen Lab, based in Canada, hand over all documents related to its Pegasus investigation. However, a judge recently rejected NSO's latest attempt to access Citizen Lab's materials.

Citizen Lab's lawyers argued against providing raw work to NSO, stating that it could expose individuals already targeted by NSO to further harassment, including from their own governments, and could hinder their future work. NSO has declined to comment on the lawsuit, as per the report.

In recent years, NSO has launched an aggressive campaign to improve its reputation, particularly after being blacklisted in 2021. Last November, following October 7, the company requested a meeting with the State Department to discuss Pegasus as a "critical tool" in the ongoing fight against terrorism.

Related News

IOF storm Syria's Beit Jann after occupying Tel Bat al-Warda

'Israel' announces readiness to support Hezbollah disarmament plan

NSO has encountered additional legal challenges in US courts related to Pegasus, including ongoing cases initiated by Salvadoran journalists, Apple, and Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, the widow of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. These lawsuits draw upon research conducted by Citizen Lab to varying extents.

The WhatsApp lawsuit, which NSO recently characterized as a potential "show trial," has not progressed favorably for the spyware company thus far. Initially, NSO contended that it was entirely immune from lawsuits in American courts, an argument dismissed by a federal appeals court in 2021, and subsequently declined by the US Supreme Court in early 2023.

Subsequently, NSO argued that the lawsuit should have been filed in "Israel" rather than in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, where both WhatsApp and Meta (the parent company of WhatsApp) are headquartered. However, Judge Phyllis Hamilton rejected this argument as well.

The big picture

Earlier this year, Hamilton dealt a significant blow to NSO by ordering the company to disclose not only its software code for Pegasus, but also any NSO spyware aimed at or using WhatsApp servers to access target devices.

During the discovery process, NSO acquired numerous documents from Meta and WhatsApp regarding Citizen Lab's investigation into Pegasus. Despite this, NSO has attempted and failed twice to extract additional information directly from Citizen Lab, situated at the University of Toronto. In March, Hamilton rejected NSO's initial request to send a cross-border demand, known as a "letter rogatory," to her counterparts at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

NSO made a second attempt last month, arguing that the evidence provided by the plaintiffs about Citizen Lab's investigation was insufficient, as it did not reveal the methodology or basis for its conclusions regarding Pegasus targeting individuals in civil society rather than criminals or terrorists.

Citizen Lab strongly objected to NSO's requests, citing the company's hostile stance towards its research efforts.

In her latest ruling, Judge Hamilton deemed NSO's demand as excessively broad. While she left open the possibility for NSO to make another attempt, she stipulated that this would only be considered if NSO could provide evidence that specific individuals identified by Citizen Lab as "civil society" targets were engaged in criminal or terrorist activities.

“We are pleased the court has recognized that NSO Group’s request for information was overbroad and not necessary at this time to resolve the disputed issues,” Citizen Lab’s director, Ronald Deibert, said as quoted by The Intercept.

Read more: Israeli Pegasus, among others, puts media freedom in EU at climax risk

  • Israel
  • Israeli spyware
  • NSO Group
  • Pegasus Spyware
  • Citizen Lab

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS