Apple also notifying some recent targets.
Massive blow to the company notorious for selling spyware to dictators.
And there's more… Explainer THREAD. 1/
2/ Apple's lawsuit, filed moments ago in Northern California hits NSO hard.
– Seeks to hold NSO & parent accountable for abuses
– ALSO Requests permanent injunction banning NSO from using Apple products.
Directly hits NSO's core development & biz activities.
3/ NSO poked the hornet's nest for years, and @Apple wasn't satisfied with simply suing the spyware company..
Apple just pledged millions to groups working cyber surveillance… plus any damages that they extract from NSO.
Apple's wrath is poetic.
4/ Notifying NSO victims is another major step.
After @WhatsApp, Apple is the 2nd major company to do so.
?Helps victims recognize what's going on
?puts NSO's government customer base on notice: their abuses might be exposed next.
5/ NSO's accelerating tailspin, current status…
In recent weeks:
?US?? sanctioned NSO
? Court ruled that @WhatsApp's lawsuit against them could go ahead
? Reports that NSO is headed towards possible default.
Now, a massive lawsuit from Apple.
6/ NSO's profitable spyware is predictably used for repression by many dictators.
This didn't scare off unscrupulous investors.
Other spyware companies are now chasing their lead..
Now, NSO's *crisis* sends a different signal: your fortunes could come crashing down.
7/ NSO's spyware doesn't just harm human rights.
It hurts tech companies.
After years of spending efforts on technical means of control (e.g. patching & securing their products), big platforms have decided it was time to punch back in a different way:
In court.
8/ I see @Apple's lawsuit as partly triggered by findings & efforts of so many of our @citizenlab peers:
E.g. @AmnestyTech @accessnow @RSF_inter @EFF @pressfreedom @R3Dmx @article19org & many more.
Most importantly though: the victims that bravely came forwards. Here's why…
9/ The FORCEDENTRY zero-click exploit is prominently mentioned @Apple's lawsuit.
It was discovered when a spyware victim let us check their phone.
This is as it should be: targets of dictatorial surveillance contributing to fighting back & helping protect us all.
10/ Immediate effects of @Apple filing suit against NSO:
? NSO an even more radioactive investment.
? Investors that stuck with NSO look not only amoral, but foolish.
? Scares off risk-averse government customers.
? Chilling effect on spyware industry.
11/ It would take a huge internal effort for a massive company to undertake any one of these:
?Lawsuit
?Victim Notification
?Attribution
?Civil society support.
@Apple did it all at once.
There are unsung heroes in this story.
Complaint:
12/ Addendum to tweet #4: @billyleonard at TAG reminds me that @Google / @Android should also be on the list of companies that have notified NSO victims in the past.
Link:
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/04/an-investigation-of-chrysaor-malware-on.html
13/ Just 2 weeks ago, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected NSO's claims to foreign sovereign immunity in @WhatsApp v. NSO.
Here's their CEO weighing in on @Apple's lawsuit.?
Originally tweeted by John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) on 2021/11/23.
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