Jordan: New evidence of targeted phone surveillance demands immediate revision of the draconian 2023 Cybercrime Law

A significant report released on January 22, 2026, by Citizen Lab and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reveals that security authorities in Jordan deployed Cellebrite forensic tools to extract private data from the devices of civil society activists, journalists, and student organizers. According to the report, these forensic products were utilized by the General Intelligence Department (GID) and the Cybercrime Unit to access personal information from at least seven individuals.

The investigation indicates that the extraction process allowed officials to download entire digital lives, including private messages, photos, passwords, and location history. These extractions, occurring between late 2023 and mid-2025, primarily affected individuals detained and interrogated for their involvement in pro-Gaza protests or for expressing criticism of government policies online.

According to the report's findings, the digital examinations were conducted while individuals were held in custody, with some devices remaining with authorities for extended periods. One specific case documented in the report involves a political activist whose iPhone was seized following an interrogation and held for 35 days. Another instance details a student organizer who was physically restrained by officers to unlock a phone using Face ID without consent. Upon release, the student found their passcode written on a piece of tape stuck to the back of the device.

The investigation ties this pattern of surveillance to the 2023 Cybercrime Law. This legislation expanded punishments for online speech and is increasingly cited as a legal basis to justify the search of personal devices without owner consent. By broadly defining online offenses, the law creates a framework where the seizure and forensic analysis of a phone become standard procedures during arrests for peaceful expression.

This case is part of a broader, documented history of digital forensic tools being used to facilitate human rights violations across the SWANA region. Cellebrite technology has been allegedly utilized to examine the digital lives of asylum seekers in Morocco to determine their origins and motives for seeking protection. Additionally, investigative findings from The Intercept previously documented the use of similar forensic equipment in Bahrain to prosecute political activists after extracting private WhatsApp messages and photos. The continued availability of these tools to agencies with a track record of monitoring peaceful dissent highlights a persistent failure in the global surveillance trade to prioritize human rights over commercial interests.

Jordan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and is legally obligated to respect the right to privacy under Article 17 and freedom of expression under Article 19. The non-consensual extraction of data from phones belonging to activists and journalists, without clear legal necessity or proportionality, constitutes a flagrant breach of these international standards. Digital forensic technology must be governed by strict legal frameworks that prioritize transparency and the protection of individual liberties.

Skyline International for Human Rights urges the Jordanian authorities to cease the practice of non-consensual forensic extractions from the devices of peaceful protesters and journalists. Comprehensive reform of the 2023 Cybercrime Law is imperative to ensure it aligns with international human rights treaties and precludes its use as a justification for arbitrary privacy intrusions. It is fundamental that the use of such tools is solely limited to legitimate criminal investigations and remains strictly subject to rigorous judicial oversight to prevent unauthorized interference with private life.

Commercial actors like Cellebrite must also undertake transparent human rights due diligence regarding their clients. The suspension of active licenses and product support is necessary for agencies found to be utilizing forensic technology to target civil society or suppress the exercise of fundamental freedoms. This is particularly critical when such technology gives teeth to draconian legal frameworks like the 2023 Cybercrime Law by facilitating the prosecution of peaceful expression.