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Kenyan Activist Fears for Life After Police Bug Phone
Citizen Lab found Kenyan police extracted sensitive data from activist Boniface Mwangi's phone using Cellebrite technology after his 2025 arrest amid a crackdown on government critics.
- Researchers at Citizen Lab found forensic evidence that Kenyan authorities used Cellebrite's phone‑cracking technology on Boniface Mwangi's phone without his consent, report published Tuesday.
- After the 2024 protests, police raided Mwangi's home and office in July 2025, seizing devices; Citizen Lab previously found spyware on four Kenyan filmmakers' devices last year.
- Forensic analysis by Citizen Lab showed Mwangi’s phone no longer required a password after his July arrest, revealing access to family photos and presidential campaign plans.
- Mwangi plans to use Citizen Lab's findings in court to challenge charges from his arrest last year, while the Kenyan government and Kenyan embassy in Washington, D.C. did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
- Citizen Lab warned that Cellebrite's safeguards aren't sufficient, citing a broader global abuse problem, while the company defended its vetting and review processes.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Daily Journal
Kenyan activist fears for life after police bug phone
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi said on Wednesday that he fears for his life after authorities installed spyware on his phone during his arrest last year.
Citizen Lab links Cellebrite to the hacking of a Kenyan presidential candidate’s phone
Researchers have found forensic evidence suggesting that Kenyan authorities used Cellebrite’s phone-cracking technology on the device of a prominent human rights activist after arresting him, according to a report published Tuesday. The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said the intrusion is a sign of growing abuse of Cellebrite’s technology. According to the report, after his widely criticized arrest in July amid mass protest, Boniface Mwang…
Investigation shows Kenyan police used Cellebrite to hack Boniface Mwangi’s phone
A new forensic investigation by The Citizen Lab has confirmed that Kenyan authorities utilized Cellebrite’s sophisticated phone-breaking technology to access the device of prominent activist and politician Boniface Mwangi. The report, titled Not Safe for Politics, details how the forensic extraction tools were deployed following Mwangi’s arrest in July 2025, adding to a mounting global record […] The post Investigation shows Kenyan police used C…
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