Maybe that’s true, it probably is, but they should still be sanctioned into oblivion considering they consistently are in the headlines on the wrong end of this being used for deeply questionable purposes.
The US enjoys some fruits of their labor and they're conveniently distanced from any explicitly funded operations to avoid blow back when exploits are publicized. They won't enforce sanctions or, more practically, withhold the massive defense subsidies they give to Israel.
>... as greed leads them into bed with the wrong people.
I'd hope they're at least targeting their own customers as part of state-sanctioned operations. Still, that doesn't justify the dissidents they indirectly facilitate being thrown under the bus. Or on the receiving end of a bone saw, as another commenter put it.
Allowing a US+Israel-approved* company to do this makes higher revenues possible, meaning they can attract higher talent => more hacks. Which would be fine if we prevented them from selling to unwanted customers. With weapons, we control who gets them, regardless of money.
* I was going to say "sanctioned," but that word can mean two entirely opposite things, it's dumb
True, but there’s a real question about how effective they’d be. NSO has the veneer of legitimacy which means they can hire top notch talent by pretending their products are just law enforcement tools – fewer people would be comfortable working for a Russian mercenary group or able to tell their friends and family their work for a Chinese government vendor wasn’t helping oppression. That doesn't mean that everyone in the world is comfortable working for them but think about how it is for Palantir where a significant percentage of top tech talent don't seek employment there due to ethical concerns - NSO has similar problems but they'd be an order of magnitude worse if they weren't in a close ally country.
