An Israeli surveillance-tech company that has played a central role in the war in Gaza is poised to entrench itself as a major surveillance contractor for the U.S. government. That firm, the Tel Aviv-based Cellebrite, reportedly allowed the FBI to use an unreleased version of its technology to help the agency break into the phone of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump, in 40 minutes—a feat that, ordinarily, could take years.
Cellebrite has amassed a wealth of experience in working with foreign clients. As recently as 2021, the firm was a favored digital-forensics provider for authoritarian regimes around the world. In Hong Kong, Chinese officials used its technology to hack into the phones of pro-democracy demonstrators, The Intercept reported. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, police in Botswana have used it to crack the phones of detained journalists. And in Russia, authorities used its technology to hack opposition figures, Haaretz found…..more
