Meta filed a contempt-of-court motion against NSO Group, alleging the Israeli spyware maker violated a previous injunction by conducting new WhatsApp attacks. The tech giant claims NSO continues to build surveillance tools despite being on the US Entity List. This escalation comes as NSO appeals earlier rulings that found its actions unlawful.

The legal battle stems from a 2019 lawsuit where WhatsApp accused NSO of hacking approximately 1,400 devices using modified WhatsApp client applications. According to court documents, NSO reverse-engineered WhatsApp's code and redesigned its software to evade detection and bypass security fixes. Judge Phyllis Hamilton previously ruled NSO's actions violated US laws.

The Knight First Amendment Institute opposes NSO's appeal, calling Pegasus spyware a "profound threat to free expression" that enables near-perfect surveillance. The tool allows operators to fully compromise targets' smartphones, accessing all communications, locations, and files even when encrypted. Meta argues existing restrictions must remain firmly in place against companies defying US courts.