WhatsApp row: Firm that backed Israeli cyber expertise firm NSO Group has an ‘India connection’

BENGALURU | NEW DELHI: The lawsuit filed by Fb-owned WhatsApp in opposition to Israeli cyber expertise firm NSO Group has not solely revealed surveillance of legal professionals, journalists and activists but additionally the position performed by non-public fairness funds within the development of the business that usually features in a gray zone.

NSO cofounders Shalev Hulio and Omri Lavie did a basic administration buyout of the corporate from San Francisco-based PE agency Francisco Companions utilizing the monetary muscle of London-based Novalpina Capital for $1 billion. Francisco Companions made about eight occasions the $120 million it paid to purchase the corporate 5 years earlier than. Though it had introduced the sale on February 14, 2019, in a press launch, that communication is now not seen on its web site. It’s, nonetheless, a part of the paperwork within the WhatsApp swimsuit in opposition to NSO filed in a California court docket October 29 for allegedly hacking its servers and programs.

Francisco Companions was co-founded in 1999 by former TPG Capital principal Dipanjan ‘DJ’ Deb together with David Stanton, one other senior TPG govt, who left the corporate in 2005 as managing associate, and others. Francisco Companions is basically stated to be technology-focused, with a penchant for surveillance expertise firms within the development stage. In line with those that know the corporate, Francisco Companions “usually buys promising firms for affordable and helps them develop, earlier than aiming for a considerable return”.

Biometric Service Supplier CrossMatch

The corporate, in accordance with individuals ET spoke to, additionally “actively solicits purchasers for his or her investee firms”.

To make sure, this isn’t uncommon amongst non-public fairness companies. Novalpina, the PE agency which helped purchase the NSO Group, then again, buys firms with “confirmed observe data”.

On Friday, ET reached out to Dipanjan Deb and his assistant with questions. That mail was forwarded to Francisco Companions’ public relations company. In response to ET’s questions, a public relations govt on behalf of Francisco Companions stated, “They now not personal both firm talked about under.” In an e mail, ET had requested particular questions on Francisco Companions’ involvement with NSO Group whereas they owned it, consciousness of the latter’s actions, moreover its erstwhile possession of CrossMatch. Deb is alleged to be a board member of CrossMatch, in accordance with his Stanford alumni web page.

Though a number of surveillance expertise distributors resembling NSO declare they promote their merchandise solely to governments or state enforcement businesses, a lot of them insist on an organization as a counterparty of their contracts. An individual who runs an identical agency informed ET that the product these firms provide may be very costly and infrequently runs the chance of failing. Getting into right into a contract with an organization ensures enforceability and fee. NSO’s Pegasus, as an illustration, value a Ghanaian firm over $eight million a yr to trace simply 25 cell phones. The fats backside strains of those firms are a serious attraction for personal funds nevertheless it additionally comes connected with threat to fame when issues go mistaken.

Francisco Companions invested in and later acquired CrossMatch, an authorized provider of biometric gadgets in accordance with its web site. In an August 2018 press launch highlighting gross sales of its ‘U.are.U’ and ‘TouchChip’ line of “readers, modules and sensors” exceeding 750,000 items, the corporate stated, “CrossMatch has a protracted historical past of offering high-performing biometric enrollment and verification gadgets in assist of Aadhaar”. CrossMatch, in accordance with media reviews, obtained its certificates of approval from the Indian authorities in 2011.

ET additionally reached out to the UIDAI spokesperson, with particular queries across the nature of relationship between CrossMatch and the federal government company. On the time of going to press, UIDAI was but to reply.

Its Indian associate, CrossMatch stated, was a Bengaluru-based firm known as AqTronics Applied sciences Restricted. In September final yr, Francisco Companions bought Cross-Match to an Austin-headquartered firm, HID World.

However Francisco Companions’ investments and possession of surveillance expertise firms like NSO Group don’t finish there. In line with Citizen Lab, Francisco Companions beforehand invested in an organization known as Blue Coat, which sells “community filtering and monitoring options”. In 2013, Citizen Lab had revealed that Blue Coat’s expertise was utilized by regimes in Syria, Iran, and Sudan.

One other firm Francisco Companions at present owns is California-based Procera Networks. Procera, in accordance with a report in Forbes two years in the past, was allegedly serving to the Recep Erdogan-led Turkish regime “spy on its residents”. Francisco Companions, in accordance with media reviews, paid $240 million to amass Procera, in “mid-2015”.

Media reviews additionally stated that world non-public fairness agency The Blackstone Group was eager on buying 40% of NSO Group for a reported valuation of $400 million in August 2017, however ended talks following complaints and considerations by world privacy-focused teams resembling AccessNow and Citizen Lab on the College of Toronto. Final yr, Verint Programs, the American software program firm, was additionally trying to purchase NSO Group in a inventory and money deal price about $1 billion, however the deal fell via.