Authorities in Jordan are reportedly using an Israeli digital tool to extract information from the mobile phones of activists and protesters critical of Israel and supportive of Gaza, according to a new report by the Citizen Lab.
Jordanian Authorities Allegedly Use Israeli Tool for Phone Extraction
A multiyear investigation found with high confidence that Jordanian security authorities have been using forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite against members of civil society, including two political activists, a student organizer, and a human rights defender, researchers said.
Cellebrite’s tool, when deployed with physical access to a mobile phone, can extract data including photos, videos, chats, files, saved passwords, location history, wifi history, phone usage records, web history, social media accounts and, in some cases, data a user has attempted to delete.
The Citizen Lab’s forensic investigation of devices previously seized by Jordanian authorities, as well as court records shared with researchers, indicates that the use of Cellebrite “likely violated human rights treaties Jordan has ratified.” The international covenant on civil and political rights (ICCPR) requires Jordan to comply with strict limits on the targeting of political dissidents and civil society with surveillance technology.
Researchers analyzed four mobile phones between January 2024 and June 2025 that belonged to members of Jordanian civil society who had been detained, arrested, or interrogated by authorities, and found all had been subjected to forensic extraction using Cellebrite.
The names of those targeted were not released due to fears of reprisal. In one instance, researchers analyzed the iPhone of a political activist seized after interrogation by Jordan’s general intelligence department, which remained in custody for 35 days.
In another case, a student activist refused to provide a passcode to officers, who then unlocked the phone using Apple’s Face ID while holding it up to the activist’s face. The activist was taken to prison the next day. Upon release, the activist found their passcode written on tape affixed to the back of the phone. Analysis revealed the device had been connected to an external device attributed to Cellebrite, and a cybercrime unit in Amman while in the custody of authorities.
A Cellebrite spokesperson stated that the company’s technology is forensic in nature and used to “access private data only in accordance with legal due process or with appropriate consent to aid investigations legally after an event has occurred.”
The spokesperson added that the company vets potential customers against internal human rights parameters and has historically ceased business in jurisdictions where risks were deemed incompatible with its corporate values. Cellebrite also said it takes allegations of misuse seriously and investigates claims in accordance with its ethics and integrity policies.
The Jordanian government did not respond to a request for comment.
Cellebrite products have reportedly been used to target members of civil society in other countries, including Myanmar and Botswana, with indications of use in Serbia and Belarus.
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