Jordanian law enforcement used Israeli-made technology to crack the phones of activists protesting Israel’s assault on civilians in Gaza, according to a report published today by The Citizen Lab and court records seen by OCCRP.
A forensic extraction tool produced by the Israeli company Cellebrite DI Ltd. has been used under Jordan’s Cybercrimes Law, which was expanded in scope in August 2023. However, Amnesty International warned in August 2024 that Jordanian authorities were “weaponizing” the law to target journalists and activists.
The Citizen Lab, a research group based at the University of Toronto, analyzed the phones of several activists and journalists who were detained in Jordan. The researchers found that Cellebrite’s Universal Forensic Extraction Device had been used to obtain data from the phones.
A spokesperson for Cellebrite said the company does “not comment on specifics,” but added that “adherence to the rule of law and privacy standards are fundamental elements of all our relationships.”
The cybercrimes unit at Jordan’s Public Security Directorate did not respond to requests for comment.
The phones analyzed by The Citizen Lab were seized “in the context of protests” against Israel’s military offensive in Gaza which followed Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel and Hamas signed a fragile ceasefire agreement on October 10, 2025. But the two-year conflict sparked worldwide outrage about attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza — not least in Jordan, where a significant proportion of the population is Palestinian.
Amid Israel’s assault on Gaza, thousands of Jordanians participated in protests, and posted messages on social media. Some of them were detained and had their phones searched using Cellebrite’s extraction tool, according to research by The Citizen Lab.
It’s unclear when Jordan purchased the technology, but Cellebrite-branded equipment is visible in an April 2022 photo posted on social media by the official account of the royal court. The photo, posted to X, documented a visit by Crown Prince Al Hussein to the Jordanian public security directorate's Criminal Investigation Department.
Some of the activists whose phones were analyzed by The Citizen Lab spoke to OCCRP on condition of anonymity.
"I felt wronged and violated, like they stole something from me, and not because they're strong, but because we're legally weak," said one person, who faced interrogation for participating in protects.
"I felt that these people have absolute authority to do whatever they want. Nothing can stop them," he added.
Another activist told OCCRP that his “confidence was certainly shaken.”
“It plunged me into a cycle of pathological self-censorship,” he said.
That activist said he was detained after posts on X criticizing the policies of Arab countries towards Israel, and expressing solidarity with Palestinian victims of Israel’s military campaign.
The Citizen Lab’s findings were backed up by Jordanian court records seen by OCCRP.
The legal documents outline the use of Cellebrite’s forensic data extraction tool on phones owned by activists detained by Jordanian police. They show that the tool is able to extract the entire contents of the phone, giving law enforcement access to information including passwords, app data, images, and documents.
The court cases examined by OCCRP relate to activists who protested the unprecedented scale of civilian casualties in Gaza. The demands of protestors included permanently closing the Israeli embassy in Jordan and severing all diplomatic and trade agreements.
Some demonstrations were marked by violent clashes, including one on March 27, 2024, when police reportedly beat and arrested dozens of people after protestors had attempted to storm the Israeli embassy.
But authorities have also brought charges under the Cybercrimes Law against hundreds of people who simply posted messages to social media, Amnesty International said in its August 2024 statement.
The rights group said people were arrested for posts “that merely criticized the authorities, expressed pro-Palestinian sentiment, criticized Jordan’s peace deal with Israel, or called for peaceful protests and public strikes.”
Cellebrite declined to comment on specific cases where its technology may have been used. The company instead pointed out that it has an Ethics and Integrity Committee, and said: “Ethical and lawful use of our technology is paramount to our mission of protecting nations, communities and businesses around the world.”
