Gardaí should stop purchasing sophisticated Israeli-made technology capable of bypassing security on phones and other electronic devices, Opposition figures have said.
The force has been using devices manufactured in Israel by Cellebrite since at least 2015 to gain access to phones during criminal investigations. Last year it paid almost €500,000 to the company, which has close links to the Israeli security services.
The Garda’s use of Cellebrite products was raised in the Central Criminal Court on Monday, when it emerged investigators had used it to prove a man murdered his wife in 2023.
Stephen Mooney (52) had previously denied murdering Anna Mooney (46) at their home on Kilbarrack Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5, on June 15th, 2023.
Zelenskiy ready to sign minerals deal and ‘work under Trump’s strong leadership’ toward Ukraine peace deal
Grind school expansion in South Dublin sparks concern among school principals over loss of students
Boy (11) stabbed at primary school in north Dublin
‘My son is getting married in the summer, and the likelihood is that I’m going to be able to see that’
Last month, Garda technical specialists were able to use a device made by Cellebrite to extract data from his phone, which it had seized under warrant, having previously been unable to bypass its encryption.
Using the Cellebrite device, gardaí found video and audio footage of the murder of Ms Mooney, a Ukrainian mother of two. Following the development, Mooney pleaded guilty to murder in the Central Criminal Court.
Human rights campaigners have previously raised concerns about the use of Cellebrite by repressive regimes against political opponents. It has also been used by Israel in its war against Hamas since the October 7th, 2023, attacks.
Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats have called for gardaí to cease using the company’s products.
“It is important that gardaí have access to the technology, including decryption technology, required to detect and prosecute serious crimes, including murder,” said Matt Carthy, Sinn Féin’s justice spokesman.
[ Israeli decryption device used by gardaí to show man murdered wifeOpens in new window ]
However, he said alternatives should be found to any Israeli company involved in the violence in Palestine.
Social Democrats justice spokesman Gary Gannon said Ireland should end “any forms of technology partnerships with the Israeli state” and that Israel “has proven itself to be not trusted”.
“We need to be very careful with regards to any form of technologies that are made in the Israeli state,” he said.
“It’s very clearly Israel has a hostile relationship to Ireland based on the support our people have for a two-state solution. And they’ve proven themselves to be untrustworthy partners on the global stage.”
Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Cellebrite has been widely used by Israeli military and intelligence agencies to identify potential targets among Hamas militants.
Last year, the Irish Government banned future purchases of military equipment from Israel due to the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. However, this ban did not apply to An Garda Síochána.
[ Ireland is ‘extreme against Israel’, says ambassadorOpens in new window ]
Russian authorities used Cellebrite technology against associates of political dissident Alexei Navalny’s group, while in Hong Kong it was used against pro-democracy activists.
The technology has been criticised by privacy advocates as it grants law enforcement access to the entire contents of a device, not just the sections that may be relevant for an investigation.
Cellebrite, which was acquired by the Japanese company Sun Corporation in 2012, has said Russia had no permission to use its technology against dissidents.
Cellebrite has said it does not sell to countries sanctioned by the US or EU and that it takes steps to prevent its technology being used improperly or illegally.
