Russia used Cellebrite phone-hacking tool to crack down on dissident after firm cut off country

This article reports that Russian authorities continued to use Cellebrite’s phone-hacking tool, the UFED, to access the devices of dissident political activist Andrey Pivovarov after Cellebrite announced it was ending its business relationship with Russia in March 2021. Citizen Lab researchers identified Cellebrite hardware being used on Pivovarov’s iPhone 12 and Macbook, leading to his arrest, trial, and imprisonment. The incident highlights Cellebrite’s difficulties in fully severing ties with authoritarian governments and raises concerns about the company’s commitment to preventing abuse of its technology, particularly with the introduction of new AI features.