Cellebrite's Export Controls Failed to Stop State Abuse of Phone Forensics Tools

Israeli forensic toolmaker Cellebrite halted Russia sales in 2021, yet its UFED extraction software was later found in use by Russian authorities against activist Andrey Pivovarov, a Citizen Lab investigation revealed. Serbian authorities deployed the same tools against journalists and activists in 2024. The cases expose a fundamental gap: Cellebrite's licensing agreements lack technical safeguards to prevent misuse by authoritarian regimes.