In a massive win for victims of mercenary spyware across the world, the U.S. Supreme Court denied NSO Group’s petition to review its sovereign immunity claim.

“Recent revelations about NSO Group suggest that the vilified company continues to facilitate the use of spyware against human rights defenders and civil society globally,” said Sanjana Srikumar, Legal Fellow at Access Now. “This decision is an important victory, a battle won towards ensuring that victims of these human rights abuses are able to hold such companies accountable.”

Access Now supports the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, and encourages the Northern California District Court to move forward with the discovery phase of the lawsuit immediately.

Access Now, with other civil society partners, spotlighted the experience of victims of this spyware from India, Togo, Rwanda, and Morocco, in an amicus brief filed before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020.