Kenyan authorities used Israeli tech to crack activist's phone, report claims

"When Boniface Mwangi, the prominent Kenyan pro-democracy activist who plans to run for president in 2027, had his phones returned to him by Kenyan authorities after his controversial arrest last July, he immediately noticed a problem: one of the phones was no longer password protected and could be opened without one. It was Mwangi's personal phone, which he used to communicate with friends and mentors, and contained photos of private family moments with his wife and children."

"A report released on Tuesday by Citizen Lab, which tracks digital threats against civil society, has found with high confidence that Kenyan authorities used Israeli technology to break into Mwangi's phone while he was under arrest last year, when the device was in police custody. Authorities' use of the technology, made by Cellebrite, could have enabled the full extraction of all materials from Mwangi's device, including messages, private materials, personal files, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive information, Citizen Lab said."

"In a statement to the Guardian, Cellebrite said it maintained a rigorous process for reviewing allegations of technology misuse and that it took decisive action, including licence termination, when credible and substantiated evidence is presented to the company. We do not respond to speculation and encourage any organisation with specific, evidence-based concerns to share them with us directly so we can act on them, the company said."

Kenyan authorities accessed Boniface Mwangi's personal phone while it was in police custody, rendering its password protection removed and exposing private family photos and communications. Citizen Lab found with high confidence that Israeli-made Cellebrite technology was used to break into the device, potentially enabling full extraction of messages, files, passwords, financial records, and other sensitive data. Mwangi reported feeling unsafe and exposed after the alteration. Researchers asserted that such use illustrates a pattern of abuse by government clients and questioned Cellebrite's safeguards. Cellebrite said it reviews misuse allegations and can terminate licenses when evidence is substantiated.

Read at www.theguardian.com