Key facts
- Russian authorities allegedly used Cellebrite's phone-hacking tools on opposition politician Andrey Pivovarov in June 2021.
- Cellebrite had announced it would cease sales and services to the Russian Federation in March 2021.
- Researchers at The Citizen Lab found evidence of Cellebrite UFED use on Pivovarov's devices.
- A court document detailed the Russian government's use of Cellebrite UFED to extract data from Pivovarov's phone.
- Cellebrite stated that any use of legacy hardware in Russia after March 2021 is unauthorized.
Russian authorities allegedly used technology from the forensics firm Cellebrite to hack into the phone of a prominent political opponent, Andrey Pivovarov, in June 2021. This occurred even after Cellebrite announced it had ceased all sales and services to Russian government agencies in March 2021. Researchers at The Citizen Lab found forensic evidence on Pivovarov's iPhone and MacBook indicating the use of Cellebrite's UFED tool. A court document also detailed the Russian government's use of UFED to extract data, including messages, from his devices.
Cellebrite stated that any use of legacy hardware in Russia after March 2021 is entirely unauthorized. However, the incident highlights the difficulty in controlling surveillance technology once it is sold to governments. Human rights lawyer Eitay Mack argued that ceasing sales does not prevent former customers from abusing the technology, and noted Cellebrite's refusal to disclose whether it asks customers to dismantle sold tools. John Scott-Railton of The Citizen Lab suggested Cellebrite should remotely disable tools upon credible reports of abuse and implement digital watermarks for traceability.
Pivovarov, formerly the director of the opposition group Open Russia, was later sentenced to four years in prison. He was freed in August 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange.