WhatsApp forces Pegasus spyware maker to share its secret code

Post by qingcharles » Sat, Mar 02, 2024, 3:38 PM UTC

bradleyjg wrote: post #139

rdtsc wrote: post #3

> Initially, the NSO sought to block all discovery in the lawsuit, "due to various US and Israeli restrictions," but that blanket request was denied. Interesting approach. The court could probably care less about Israeli restrictions as it's a different country. Officially US govt blacklisted Pegasus https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/11/us-blacklists-ma... . However, I wouldn't be surprised if some US spy agen…

It would be interesting to see if all of the sudden "something happens" and the case is mysteriously dropped. Conspiracy theories notwithstanding you’d see a sealed court filing and not “something happens.”

Post by brettermeier » Sat, Mar 02, 2024, 4:56 PM UTC

Post by brettermeier » Sat, Mar 02, 2024, 5:14 PM UTC

halJordan wrote: post #154

brettermeier wrote: post #153

I don't get why Pegasus should send their real source code to WhatsApp, even if they lose this case. They could just send over some nonsense, or am I missing something?

You're missing courts and their legal powers.

Post by halJordan » Sat, Mar 02, 2024, 5:17 PM UTC

dkjaudyeqooe wrote: post #13

cedws wrote: post #6

I don't understand why the NSO Group, and by extension Israel, has not been sanctioned over this spyware. It's a dangerous company that sells tools ripe for abuse to some of the West's worst anti-democractic enemies.

For the same reason it hasn't had any of $10 billion in military aid reduced even after acting counter to numerous US interests and values: Politics.

Post by asveikau » Sat, Mar 02, 2024, 6:33 PM UTC

ethbr1 wrote: post #99

asveikau wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with FISA as I understand it is not illuminati. It's that the court probably approves almost everything the government asks for without scrutiny. In general, most courts probably have issues like this -- when their job might be oversight and scrutiny they end up as a rubber stamp for the powerful, like cops, prosecutors, etc. For FISA it's especially bad because decisions and arguments made aren't public.

But it nonetheless exists and could be reformed if there were political will. There was a (much worse) time when FISA didn't exist. There can also be a future time in which something even stronger exists! It's annoying to get low-effort whatabout'isms that are justifications for inaction on the basis that nothing will ever change. It has and it can.