Between April and October of this year the Champaign Police Department has spent $33,840 on digital forensics technology that allows the police to access a person’s entire digital footprint. Over $16,000 of Champaign City money went to Cellebrite, an Israeli surveillance company, for its Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED). Cellebrite technology has been involved in human rights violations for many years, primarily facilitating the detention and harassment of journalists, activists, and minorities around the world.
As the genocide in Gaza continues, we need to keep our governments accountable. Our police should not be using these hacking technologies, nor should our government be investing in companies known to commit human rights violations. We are deeply disturbed that our city is currently invests in Israeli surveillance technologies.
The fight against unjust policing and Palestinian liberation are interconnected. Historically Israeli Occupation Forces have tested surveillance and military technology on Palestinians before selling it to police forces worldwide. For more information check out The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World by Antony Loewenstein. Cellebrite specifically has been involved in the surveillance trade; the FBI and ICE have spent millions of dollars to access Cellebrite technologies. These technologies are developed by former members of the IDF, and now these military tools are in the hands of corrupt regimes, ICE, and our local police. This investment in surveillance is unacceptable. Historically Muslims have suffered from mass surveillance in this country, and Muslims of color are especially subject to over policing. Our local governments must do better.
In the meantime, updating your phone can protect it against these digital forensic technologies. For more information on how to secure your digital footprint against surveillance, visit UC IMC’s blog post: “Protect yourself from legal hacking tools”.