Cellebrite, which makes phone unlocking and hacking tools, stopped sales to countries that allegedly abused its tools. But after new allegations in Jordan and Kenya, the company has changed its approach.

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Cellebrite suspended Serbia as a customer in 2025 after documented evidence that Serbian police used its phone-unlocking tools to hack journalists and plant spyware. However, when Citizen Lab published similar findings about Cellebrite tools being used against activists in Jordan and Kenya, the company dismissed the allegations and refused to commit to an investigation. Cellebrite's spokesperson called the situations 'incomparable' and argued that 'high confidence is not direct evidence.' Researchers are calling on Cellebrite to publicly disclose its vetting criteria and license revocation history, raising questions about the consistency of the company's human rights enforcement policies.

Cellebrite cut off Serbia citing abuse of its phone unlocking tools. Why not others?