Kenyan authorities used Israeli tech to crack activist’s phone

When Boniface Mwangi had his phones returned after his arrest last July, he found one device was no longer password protected and could be opened without a code. The personal phone contained photos of family moments with his wife and children, and knowing its contents could be in government hands made Mwangi, who has described harassment and even torture, feel unsafe and "exposed", he said.

A report released on Tuesday by Citizen Lab found, with "high confidence", that Kenyan authorities used Israeli technology made by Cellebrite to break into Mwangi’s phone while it was in police custody. The lab said the tool "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".

Cellebrite said it maintained a "rigorous process for reviewing allegations of technology misuse" and took "decisive action", including licence termination, when credible and substantiated evidence is presented.

Kenya

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