Israeli spyware developer NSO Group is urging the Supreme Court to recognize it as a foreign government agent, a move the firm says would give it immunity under U.S. laws restricting lawsuits against foreign countries.
NSO’s leading software product, Pegasus, allows operators to clandestinely surveil a suspect’s mobile phone—gaining access to contacts and messages, as well as the built-in camera, microphone, and location history. NSO says it deals only with government law enforcement agencies and that all sales are approved by the Israeli Defense Ministry. It refuses to identify its clients.
