Journalists worry these tools may be used against them—they have reason.
A THREAD: cpj.org/2020/07/us-uk-…
Cellebrite's website says their tools can "[b]reakthrough complicated locks and encryption barriers to extract deleted and unknown content." cpj.org/2020/07/us-uk-…
In 2016, Cellebrite signed an agreement to provide Interpol with “digital forensic equipment and training services over a three-year period”: interpol.int/en/News-and-Ev…
Dogbevi, an @ICIJorg member, has reported offshore finances and #Ghana’s purchase from Israel-based spyware company NSO Group. cpj.org/2020/07/us-uk-…
They also advertise the ability to “recover and break through passwords.” mcmsolutions.co.uk/solutions/unif…
MCM told CPJ that they had multiple clients in Ghana, but did not respond about which security agencies had the tech.
The police and National Security Ministry still have his phones, tablet, and computer.
He sued. africaneyereport.com/journalists-to…
“If it has happened to some journalists, it is possible it can happen to me.” cpj.org/2020/07/us-uk-…
- From the US: UltraBlock, a digital forensics tool made by the Digital Intelligence corporation
- From the UK: IBM i2 Analyze
CPJ's efforts to reach both companies went unanswered. fpds.gov/ezsearch/fpdsp…
Ghana immigration spokesperson Michael Amoako-Atta told CPJ he would check about British support in 2019, but subsequent calls and text messages to Amoako-Atta went unanswered.
Questions on specific technologies went unanswered. modernghana.com/news/1013480/g…