• Citizen Lab Finds Cellebrite Tool Used on Kenyan Activist’s Phone in Police Custody New research from the Citizen Lab has found signs that Kenyan authorities used a commercialforensic extraction toolmanufactured by Israeli company Cellebrite to break into a prominent dissident’s phone, making it the latest case of abuse of the technology targeting civil society. • The interdisciplinary research unit at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policysaidit found the indicators on a personal phone belonging to Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan pro-democracy activist who hasannounced plansto run for president in 2027. • Specifically, it has emerged that Cellebrite’s forensic extraction tools were used on his Samsung phone while it was in police custody following his arrest in July 2025. • The phone was returned to him nearly two months later, in September, at which point Mwangi found that the phone was no longer password-protected and could be unlocked without requiring a password. • It’s been assessed with high confidence that Cellebrite’s technology was used on the phone on or around July 20 and July 21, 2025. • “The use of 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,” the Citizen Lab said.
Article Summaries:
- New research from the Citizen Lab has found signs that Kenyan authorities used a commercial forensic extraction tool manufactured by Israeli company Cellebrite to break into a prominent dissident’s phone, making it the latest case of abuse of the technology targeting civil society. The interdisciplinary research unit at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy said it found the indicators on a personal phone belonging to Boniface Mwangi, a Kenyan pro-democracy activist who has announced plans to run for president in 2027. Specifically, it has emerged that Celle
- Citizen Lab researchers have uncovered evidence that Kenyan police used the Israeli‑made Cellebrite forensic extraction tool on the phone of pro‑democracy activist Boniface Mwangi while it was in custody after his July 2025 arrest. The analysis shows the device was accessed on July 20‑21, 2025, and returned to Mwangi in September with its password protection removed, raising concerns that all personal data could have been extracted. The finding follows a similar report of Cellebrite use by Jordanian authorities on activist phones. Cellebrite denied wrongdoing, stating its technology is employed only with legal due process. The case adds to growing evidence of surveillance abuses by governments worldwide.
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