Israel: Cellebrite says it does not sell to areas sanctioned by US as activists urge it to stop exporting tech to Hong Kong police
“Hong Kong democracy activists to Israel: Stop exporting tech to police”, 31 July 2020
Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Joshua Wong joined a call for Israel to block a civilian technology company from selling products China used to spy on protesters.
Wong wrote a Facebook post saying a software developed by an Israeli company called Cellebrite, was used by the Hong Kong Police Forces to hack into his phone.
The activist shared a letter by Israeli human rights lawyer Eitay Mack calling on the Defense Ministry and Economy Ministry to block Cellebrite from exporting its product to Hong Kong.
The letter was cosigned by 37 Israeli human rights activists “who support the rights of the citizens of Hong Kong to life, liberty and personal safety under a democratic government which will uphold their civil and human rights.”…
… the activists state that the Cellebrite system was used to hack into 4,000 Hong Kong citizens’ phones…
Wong also shared an online petition started two weeks ago by another activist, Kwun Chung Law, with over 36,000 signatories, titled “calling upon Cellebrite to terminate phone hacking cooperations with Hong Kong Police.”…
“Cellebrite claims its technology is used to create a ‘safer world’. But... cooperation with this authoritarian regime are de facto imperiling the personal safety of all western nationals,” the petition reads…
Cellebrite said that it does not comment on specific customers, but that they have strict guidelines governing how the technology may be used. It also does not sell to countries on the Financial Action Task Force blacklist or that are under sanction by the US, Israel or "the broader international community."