Cellebrite's Export Controls Failed to Block Use Against Activists

Israeli forensic toolmaker Cellebrite suspended Russia sales in March 2021, yet its UFED extraction tools were later used by Russian authorities against activist Andrey Pivovarov, a Citizen Lab investigation found. Serbian authorities deployed the same tools against journalists and activists in 2024. The cases suggest Cellebrite's licensing agreements lack technical enforcement mechanisms to prevent misuse by state actors targeting civil society.