Kerala Police Spends Nearly Rs 1 Crore on Israeli Technology Accused of Enabling Surveillance of Journalists and Activists

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police has reportedly spent nearly Rs 1 crore on Israeli technology that has been allegedly misused to suppress Palestinians and surveil human rights activists and journalists. The Kerala Home Department allocated funds for technology developed by Israeli company Cellebrite, which has faced international scrutiny over its alleged misuse to extract data from the phones of journalists, political activists and human rights defenders.

The purchase comes amid continuing protests worldwide against Israel's attacks on Gaza. Details of the contract are available in government procurement documents published by the Internet Freedom Foundation.

On July 16, 2026, the Kerala Home Department awarded a contract for services related to Cellebrite Inseyets, a mobile data extraction system. The contract, worth Rs 99,99,910, was awarded to a private company, Alibi Global Private Limited, under the category of Facility Management Service.

The decision to spend such a substantial amount on technology developed by an Israeli company, while involving a private firm in the contract, has raised serious questions. Concerns have also emerged over whether private contractors could gain access to personal data stored on mobile phones seized by the police.

Cellebrite's technology can bypass mobile phone security systems and extract information, including messages, photographs and documents. It can also bypass security protections on certain phones without requiring the passcode. The system can provide access to extensive information about an individual's private life.

The technology being deployed in Keralam could therefore give access to people's communications, personal relationships and private documents. Investigations by human rights organisations have highlighted how its misuse poses serious threats to citizens' privacy and freedom of expression.

Cellebrite's technology has also reportedly been used against people participating in protests in solidarity with Palestinians. An investigation by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto found that data from the phones of human rights defenders and social activists who participated in pro-Palestinian protests in Jordan had been extracted without their consent.

The investigation examined incidents between late 2023 and mid-2025 and found strong evidence in seven cases that Cellebrite devices had been used to extract information. The findings that the technology was deployed against people involved in Palestinian solidarity activities have added to concerns over Kerala Police's contract.

Evidence has also emerged of Cellebrite devices being misused to surveil journalists and environmental activists in Serbia. An investigative report published by Amnesty International in December 2024 found that Serbian police and intelligence agencies had used the technology to bypass phone security systems. They subsequently installed spyware called NoviSpy on the devices without the users' knowledge.

The systems were allegedly misused to collect private information about government critics and monitor their activities.

Amnesty also found that the phone of Serbian journalist Slavisa Milanov was accessed without his knowledge while it was in police custody. Although he had not provided his passcode, Cellebrite equipment was used to bypass the phone's security. Spyware was subsequently installed on the device.

A similar intrusion was found on the phone of environmental activist Nikola Ristic. Amnesty's findings provided evidence of how such tools could be used to target journalists and government critics.