> I really don't like NSO, to the point I never go to their parties and meetups even when invited and they have good parties.
> However it's worth mentioning they really don't see it that way. A lot of people working for NSO (or the NSA) see themselves as making a personal sacrifice for public safety.
Yes we as humans are very good in justifying our own actions to ourselves. It also doesn't help if it's in your employers interest to reinforce this perception, creating a culture of "we are what stands against evil". This makes it even more important that outsiders will tell them that we hold a different moral judgement.
> Also, NSO doesn't operate said technology it just sells it - so it's a bit more like going after people making anti DRM software or p2p sharing software. The only big difference is that NSO is making money.
Apart from the fact that people don't die or get tortured because of p2p software, the question is also should someone working on e.g. biological weapons be able to absolve themselves by saying "I did not throw the bomb?". Yes, they did not throw the bomb, but they made a tool designed for one purpose only, to be put into that bomb, and they were fully aware of its purpose. They hold as much responsibility as the person using it.