A report has revealed that school districts across the U.S. are purchasing mobile forensics tools that could theoretically be used to hack into the phones of students and staff. These tools (known as MDFTs) can extract text messages, photos, and app data from phones. The FBI uses MDFTs to investigate terrorists, for example.
The site Gizmodo accessed public school documents looking for the name of Cellebrite, one of the leading suppliers of forensic tools in the US. The report found eight school districts, seven of them located in Texas, that paid more than $11 to Cellebrite and other forensic tool companies. In many cases, the product purchased was described in generic terms, such as “general supplies.” The post also warned that many school districts may be buying tools to hack cell phones without mentioning it in their public budgets.
Cooper Quentin, senior technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Gizmodo: “Cellebrite and Stingray devices initially started out in the U.S. military and federal agencies, then made their way to state and local authorities. Eventually, these tools fell into the hands of criminals and petty tyrants like school administrators. This is the inevitable trajectory of any surveillance or weapon technology.”
Issues of privacy e surveillance involving cell phones have been in the news since at least 2016, when the Apple famously refused to hack into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter. Even without the company's help, the FBI managed to hack the terrorist's cell phone, which triggered a legal battle over encryption which continues to this day.
Photo: MChe Lee (Unsplash).
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