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Jordan using Israeli data-gathering software to track activists: Citizen Lab Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Thu, 01/22/2026 - 09:48 New report says civil society campaigners' phones and data targeted by Cellebrite products Jordanians in Amman carry flags and banners as they protest US policy on Gaza on 14 February 2025 (AFP/Khalil Mazraawi) Off Jordanian authorities have been using Israeli software to track civil society activists in the country, according to a new report by Citizen Lab.The cybersecurity researchers said Jordan used products sourced from the Tel Aviv-headquartered company Cellebrite to extract data from the phones of activists and civil society members without their consent.Forensic investigation of devices that had been seized by authorities and returned to their owners uncovered iOS and Android Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) that they attributed with "high confidence to Cellebrite’s forensic extraction products"."Court records shared with the Citizen Lab indicate use of Cellebrite products in criminal prosecutions against activists and members of Jordanian civil society in a manner that does not comply with human rights treaties that Jordan has ratified," read the report.Products developed by Cellebrite, an Israeli company whose largest shareholder is the Japan-based Sun Corporation, have been used by a range of governments to target dissidents. They were used to extract data from the phones of Reuters journalists jailed in Myanmar for reporting on the Rohingya massacre, and in Russia against pro-democracy campaigners and journalists.The company previously boasted in a later-deleted blog post of being able to crack the encrypted messaging app Signal, though experts disputed this.Hundreds of people have been detained and interrogated in Jordan over the past year, many for showing solidarity with Palestinians facing genocide in Gaza. Jordan holding 'significant' arms cache earmarked for PA but blocked by Israel Read More »There has been mounting criticism of the Mukhabarat, the colloquial term for Jordan's General Intelligence Department (GID), particularly after a young man died in its custody last year. Between January 2024 and June 2025, Citizen Lab collected and forensically analysed three iPhones and one Android devices belonging to members of Jordanian civil society that had been detained, arrested or interrogated by authorities. They said that all four devices examined were subjected to "forensic extraction" with a Cellebrite product. One student activist, who was detained and interrogated at GID premises, was seperated from their Apple iPhone before being taken to prison.Upon their release, the activist went to pick up their phone from Amman's Cybercrime Unit and found that their device’s passcode written on a piece of tape stuck to the back of their phone, despite not having provided it during the interrogation."We believe that these actions were in likely violation of international human rights treaties that Jordan has ratified," the report said of Jordan's use of the technology.Cellebrite told Middle East Eye that while they could not comment on specific cases, they emphasised that their software was not "spyware" and that it was only used in "accordance with legal due process or with appropriate consent to aid investigations legally after an event has occurred."Cellebrite strictly licenses technology for operations conducted under valid legal authority, recognizing that permissible use is governed by applicable local laws and statutory mandates," the company said in a statement. Inside Jordan News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0