Apple has recently sued an Israel based tech company that helps governments hack into the former’s devices, bypassing the security that iOS and MacOS has become famous for.
Do I like major multi-billion tech companies? No, not at all, they’re contributing to a lot of what makes late stage capitalism so unbearable. However, do I like narcs any better? Absolutely not! Who in their right mind decides to empower governments with the ability to snoop on citizens and their tech products completely unabated? Snitches get stitches, or in this case, snitches get lawsuits tossed their way that’ll hopefully make some form of lasting impact. It is terrible that, in an era where we’re already struggling with government surveillance and targeted advertisements siphoning personal user date, companies such as the one we’re about to discuss actively impede any and all efforts to keep our private lives, well, private.
The Israeli company, named NSO Group, has been sued by Apple over the former selling software to governments that allow them to hack into its devices and essentially read data available. This includes messages, contact lists, any stored social security or credit card numbers, and so on and so forth. All in all, this is all information that shouldn’t be leaked to anyone without explicit consent being provided. Apple, as a matter of fact, has been a company that’s been empowering users with such security in recent times. The company’s Tracking/Transparency features, launched with the iOS 14 in 2020, has essentially stoppered third party apps and companies from siphoning any user data without explicit consent being provided by the involved users. This was met with rousing applause from the consumer user base, and naturally, criticism from companies such as Meta, which benefit from taking user data.
The lawsuit entails Apple stopping NSO Group from using any of its software. The former’s also seeking over USD $75,000 in damages from the latter. Apple’s official statement on the matter stated that it will take all measures against what it essentially a flagrant attack on state-sponsored software that’s been weaponized against the general masses. That isn’t the only legal disruption that NSO Group has faced in recent times. The US Commerce Department blacklisted NSO Group from using any and all American software in its own endeavors. This particular piece of bureaucracy might even help Apple’s case against the Israeli company, since it’s also an American based company.
SOPA Images via Getty
Read next: Apple Pushes for Transparency By Allowing Employees to Discuss Wages and Working Conditions
Do I like major multi-billion tech companies? No, not at all, they’re contributing to a lot of what makes late stage capitalism so unbearable. However, do I like narcs any better? Absolutely not! Who in their right mind decides to empower governments with the ability to snoop on citizens and their tech products completely unabated? Snitches get stitches, or in this case, snitches get lawsuits tossed their way that’ll hopefully make some form of lasting impact. It is terrible that, in an era where we’re already struggling with government surveillance and targeted advertisements siphoning personal user date, companies such as the one we’re about to discuss actively impede any and all efforts to keep our private lives, well, private.
The Israeli company, named NSO Group, has been sued by Apple over the former selling software to governments that allow them to hack into its devices and essentially read data available. This includes messages, contact lists, any stored social security or credit card numbers, and so on and so forth. All in all, this is all information that shouldn’t be leaked to anyone without explicit consent being provided. Apple, as a matter of fact, has been a company that’s been empowering users with such security in recent times. The company’s Tracking/Transparency features, launched with the iOS 14 in 2020, has essentially stoppered third party apps and companies from siphoning any user data without explicit consent being provided by the involved users. This was met with rousing applause from the consumer user base, and naturally, criticism from companies such as Meta, which benefit from taking user data.
The lawsuit entails Apple stopping NSO Group from using any of its software. The former’s also seeking over USD $75,000 in damages from the latter. Apple’s official statement on the matter stated that it will take all measures against what it essentially a flagrant attack on state-sponsored software that’s been weaponized against the general masses. That isn’t the only legal disruption that NSO Group has faced in recent times. The US Commerce Department blacklisted NSO Group from using any and all American software in its own endeavors. This particular piece of bureaucracy might even help Apple’s case against the Israeli company, since it’s also an American based company.
SOPA Images via Getty
Read next: Apple Pushes for Transparency By Allowing Employees to Discuss Wages and Working Conditions
