The case caps a six-year battle between the social media giant and the surveillance firm, casting an unusual amount of light on the spyware industry.

A jury ordered huge punitive damages against NSO, the Israel-based maker of spyware already banned from use in the U.S.

The Israeli electronic surveillance company NSO Group was ordered to pay $167 million in damages to WhatsApp and its parent company Meta, bringing a close to six years of litigation.