California Judge Dismisses Salvadoran Journalists’ Pegasus Spyware Lawsuit
Summary
A California federal judge dismissed El Faro journalists’ lawsuit against Pegasus maker NSO Group for lack of jurisdiction. The Knight First Amendment Institute, which says the journalists were targeted at least 226 times, plans to appeal.
Key points
- The case was dismissed because the court found it lacked jurisdiction in California.
- The lawsuit was filed in 2022 on behalf of journalists from El Faro, an independent Salvadoran news outlet.
- The Knight First Amendment Institute says Pegasus was deployed against lead plaintiff Carlos Dada and colleagues at least 226 times between June 2020 and November 2021.
- The plaintiffs argued that attacks used compromised infrastructure located in California.
- They sought deletion of collected data and disclosure of the client who ordered the surveillance.
- The Institute said it plans to appeal.
Article Details
- Event Type
- A California federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by El Faro journalists against Pegasus manufacturer NSO Group, finding that the case lacked jurisdiction in California.
- Impact
- The dismissal is a setback for the journalists, who sought deletion of data collected through surveillance and disclosure of the client who ordered it. The Knight First Amendment Institute said it plans to appeal. The institute reported that Pegasus was deployed against Carlos Dada and colleagues at least 226 times between June 2020 and November 2021.