Kenyan authorities have been accused of using Israeli technology to crack the phone of a prominent pro-democracy activist, Boniface Mwangi, who plans to run for president in 2027. The activist's personal phone, containing sensitive information and private moments with his family, was returned to him after his controversial arrest last July. However, Mwangi noticed that the phone was no longer password-protected, raising concerns about the potential misuse of his data by the Kenyan government. The Citizen Lab report, which tracks digital threats against civil society, found with high confidence that Israeli technology, made by Cellebrite, was used to break into Mwangi's phone while it was in police custody. This technology, according to the report, could have enabled the extraction of all materials from Mwangi's device, including messages, private materials, personal files, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive data. The findings add to the growing evidence of Cellebrite's technology being misused by its government clients, despite the company's claims of a rigorous process for reviewing allegations of technology misuse. The activist, who has faced harassment and even torture, expressed feeling unsafe and exposed, knowing that his personal information could be in the hands of the Kenyan government. The report also highlights the role of 'non-state actors' in enabling the surveillance of pro-democracy activists by a government accused of abducting people. This incident follows a separate report in January, where researchers found evidence of authorities in Jordan using Cellebrite to extract information from the phones of activists and protesters critical of Israel and in support of Gaza. The technology has been linked to misuse in other parts of the world, including Myanmar, Botswana, Serbia, and Belarus, raising concerns about the protection of civil society members and the potential for abuse by governments.
