Amman, Jordan. Jordanian authorities have used Cellebrite forensic extraction tools to access data from the mobile phones of activists and civil society members, according to a new Citizen Lab investigation. The researchers said the practice likely violated human rights treaties Jordan has ratified.
Investigation findings
Citizen Lab said a years-long probe found with high confidence that Jordanian authorities deployed Cellebrite tools against civil society members, including two political activists, a student organiser, and a human rights defender. The group said the targeting involved people who criticised Israel or supported Gaza.
Citizen Lab said it conducted forensic analysis of devices previously seized by Jordanian authorities and examined court records. It concluded that the use of Cellebrite “likely violated human rights treaties Jordan has ratified,” citing obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to observe strict limits on surveillance of political dissidents and civil society.
Researchers analysed four phones between January 2024 and June 2025 belonging to Jordanian civil society members who had been detained, arrested, or interrogated. Citizen Lab said each device showed evidence of Cellebrite extraction.
Methods described in the report
Citizen Lab did not release the names of those targeted, citing fears of reprisals. In one case described in the report, an iPhone belonging to a political activist was confiscated after interrogation by Jordan’s General Intelligence Department and held for 35 days.
In another case, a student activist refused to provide a passcode, and officers unlocked the phone using Face ID by holding it up to the activist’s face, Citizen Lab said. The next day, the activist was imprisoned. After release, the activist received the phone back and found the passcode written on a piece of tape attached to the back of the device. Citizen Lab said later analysis showed the phone had been connected, while in custody, to external equipment attributed to Cellebrite and to a cybercrime unit in Amman.
Cellebrite response and broader context
A Cellebrite spokesperson told the Guardian the company’s technology is forensic and used to “access private data only in accordance with legal due process or with appropriate consent to aid investigations legally after an event has occurred,” distinguishing it from spyware such as that produced by NSO Group.
The spokesperson said Cellebrite vets potential customers against internal human rights standards and has “historically ceased business in jurisdictions where risks were deemed incompatible with our corporate values.” The spokesperson added: “We take seriously all allegations of potential misuse of our technology in ways that would run counter to both explicit and implied conditions outlined in our end-user agreement.”
Cellebrite products have reportedly been used against civil society in Myanmar, Botswana, Serbia, and Belarus, according to the report.
What safeguards should authorities follow when accessing data from seized mobile phones?