Thread by @jsrailton

BREAKING NOW: @Apple just filed a major lawsuit against NSO Group.

Apple also notifying some recent targets.

Massive blow to the company notorious for selling spyware to dictators.

And there's more... Explainer THREAD. 1/
apple.com/newsroom/2021/…

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: apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/…

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: android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/04/an-inv…

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.👇

https://twitter.com/wcathcart/status/1463214633423048705