Police hack activist phone with Israeli Cellebrite
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- Boniface Mwangi discovered his personal phone, returned after his July arrest, was no longer password protected, exposing private family photos and data.
- Citizen Lab reported with high confidence that Kenyan authorities used Israeli‑made Cellebrite technology to hack Mwangi’s phone while it was in police custody last year.
- Cellebrite’s tools could extract all material from the device, including messages, personal files, financial information, and passwords, according to the Lab’s findings.
- Cellebrite said it has a rigorous review process for misuse allegations and will terminate licenses when credible evidence is presented.
- Amnesty International said the legal case against Mwangi appears part of a broader effort to intimidate lawful dissent and those upholding the rule of law.
- Citizen Lab previously uncovered FlexiSPY spyware on phones of Kenyan filmmakers investigated for a BBC documentary, showing a pattern of surveillance.
- John Scott‑Railton warned that governments should not be able to access phone contents simply because they dislike the speaker’s views.
Why it matters: Activists lose personal privacy and safety as Kenyan authorities can now access phones without consent, while human‑rights groups gain evidence to demand accountability. Cellebrite faces potential license revocations, and the case underscores the risk that foreign‑made surveillance tools can be abused by repressive regimes.
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