Russia Used Cellebrite on Jailed Activist's iPhone Months After Sales Cutoff

Russian authorities utilized Cellebrite's UFED forensic tools to access the iPhone of opposition activist Andrey Pivovarov in June 2021. This occurred three months after Cellebrite announced it would no longer sell its tools and services to Russia and Belarus. The discovery was made by the Citizen Lab and is based on evidence found on the phone and an official Russian document. The Citizen Lab published its findings on June 25. The case involves the use of Cellebrite's tools to break into the iPhone of a detained activist. The finding highlights the use of Cellebrite's tools by Russian authorities despite the company's earlier announcement.