E-Business
Nigerian Security Agencies Use Israeli, US Technology for Forensic Surveillance of Journalists’ Phones
Technology developed by United States and Israeli firms were acquired by Nigerian security agencies for forensic surveillance of mobile phones of journalists, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Pix credit… Technical Guruji
CPJ, an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York, promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists
According to CPJ, the Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) is sold by an Israeli firm, Cellebrite, while the Forensic Toolkit (FTK) is the product of a US company, AccessData.
CPJ said UFED and FTK were used to extract information from phones and computers.
They are also used in breaking into locked devices and decripting information.
Besides Nigeria, other countries where CPJ reported the use of the devices by security agencies to extract information from journalists’ phones were Ghana and Botswana.
CPJ reported that a forensic search was carried out on the mobile phones and computer of the Regional Editor of Daily Trust in the North-East, Uthman Abubakar, after he was arrested by the Nigerian military in Maiduguri, Borno State, in 2019.
Abubakar’s phones and computer were seized while he was held for two days and interrogated about his sources concerning a report he wrote on a military operation.
He was eventually released without charges.
However, during the period the journalist was held, a forensic search was conducted on his phones and computer.
Seizure of journalists’ phones, computers, a global phenomenon
CPJ noted that the seizure of journalists’ mobile phones and computers – some of their most important working tools – was a global phenomenon.
“CPJ has documented device seizures around the world, from the United States to Slovakia to Iraq,” the journalists’ rights protection organisation said.
Also International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has observed that several Nigerian journalists have had their mobile phones and computers seized by security agencies.
The seizures are mostly reported in situations where journalists use their phones to record videos and pictures which indict or incriminate the security agencies or political office holders.
Several journalists in Nigeria have also had their phones and computers seized when being questioned about their sources by security agents.
A correspondent of Cable, an online newspaper, Chinedu Asadu, told The ICIR that security agents tried to collect his phone after he recorded a political office holder sharing money at a polling unit during an election in Kogi State.
The security agents, who were working for the politician, wanted the incriminating videos deleted.
CPJ further reported that in Benin Republic, Police copied data from the seized computer of Editor of Nouvelle Economie newspaper Casmir Kpedjo, in April 2019.
CPJ added that when two of its staff were detained in November 2018, intelligent officers collected their phones and computers and boasted about Israeli technology that could extract information from the devices.
UFED and FTK were used to ‘successfully extract and analyse’ thousands of messages, contacts, images, audio and video files, as well as social media accounts and applications, according to an affidavit submitted in court by the Police in Botswana during the prosecution of Digital Editor and Co-founder of Botswana People’s Daily News website, Oratile Dikologang
Dikologang and three others were arrested by the Police in the course of an investigation over Facebook posts. But the journalist, who was detained in April 2020, said he was tortured and questioned over his reports.
According to CPJ, forensic technology designed to extract information from phones and computers was marketed and sold to law enforcement agencies around the world, including those in Nigeria.
Nigerian government spends billions on procurement of surveillance devices
From 2014 to 2017, the Nigerian government spent at least N127 billion on ‘surveillance/security equipment,’ according to a 2018 calculation reported by Paradigm Initiative, a Nigeria-based digital rights group.
“Evidence showed that these purchases were made for political reasons, especially by the authorities in power to monitor their adversaries and political opponents,” the report by Paradigm Initiative said.
Also, checks by The ICIR showed that the Nigerian government budgeted a total of N72.5 billion for procurement of surveillance equipment in the 2021 budget.
The amount includes the sum of N139.4 million allocated to the State Security Service (SSS) for procurement of a surveillance equipment – MG Eyes.
Nigerian security agencies have sweeping powers to search and seize phones, computers and other devices
Although the right to privacy is enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution, and law enforcement agents are required to obtain a judicial warrant to search computer systems under Nigeria’s 2015 Cybercrime Law. The 1962 Official Secrets Act provides sweeping powers for security agencies to grant themselves warrants to search and seize all materials considered as evidence, as well as arrest those suspected of committing offenses under the act.
Nigerian security agencies use UFED and FTK to extract information from mobile phones and computers.
CPJ reported that a source in the Nigerian law enforcement sector admitted that security forces used UFED and FTK to retrieve information from devices.
UFED is sold by an Israel-based company Cellebrite, which is owned by the Japan-based SUNCORPORATION, while FTK is sold by US-based AccessData Group.
Cellebrite’s website says the UFED product can extract and decode every ounce of data within digital devices. It added that the equipment is deployed in 150 countries.
Company records stolen by hackers and reported by VICE News in 2017 suggested client relationships with Russia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
US federal law enforcement agencies have also invested in the Cellebrite technology, according to media information and procurement information listed online.
A case study published in Cellebrite’s website disclosed that in Nigeria, authorities seized a drug lord’s Samsung phone during his arrest and extracted and analysed data from it using UFED.
In the same vein, The Washington Post reported in May 2019 that Cellebrite’s UFED was used in Myanmar to pull documents from the phones of then jailed Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.
Cellebrite said it required clients to uphold the standards of international human rights law or it might terminate their agreements, according to the Washington Post’s report.
Also, Cellebrite’s terms and conditions state that products, software, and services are to be used in a manner that does not violate the rights of any third party.
But the firm did not respond to CPJ’s observations that the use of the product by security agencies would always violate rights of journalists.
AccessData advertises FTK as a tool to identify information on any digital device or system producing, transmitting or storing data, including from web history, emails, instant messages, and social media.
It also boasts capacity to decrypt files, crack passwords, and build a report, all with a single solution.
In 2011, System Trust, a Nigeria-based digital security company, established a sales partnership through DRS, a South Africa-based cybersecurity company, to distribute AccessData technology.
Nigerian officials failed to respond in the CPJ report.
Also, spokesmen of various Nigerian security agencies refused to react to the report when contacted by The ICIR.
Those contacted included spokesman of the Nigerian Army Muhammed Yerima; Nigerian Police Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba, and spokesman of the SSS Peter Afunanya.
Separate Whatsapp messages sent to the officials were not replied.
However, there have been instances where security agencies targeted mobile phones while looking for ‘incriminating’ materials to use against journalists who are hounded for doing their job.
In 2010 the SSS detained a journalist in Akwa Ibom State Kufre Carter for allegedly leaking a phone conversation that detailed the internal crisis in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Kufre’s lawyer Inibehe Effiong, in a statement, disclosed that a director of operations of the SSS demanded the journalist’s mobile phone to enable the security agency to ‘extract the record and details’ of a purported audio conversation they alleged he had with a medical doctor.
Also, on October 21, 2020, two journalists from The Punch Newspapers Segun Odunayo and Femi Dawodu were assaulted by the Police who also seized their phones while they were covering the #EndSARS protests at the Alausa area in Lagos State.
Dr John Asein, director-general, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), has said that the federal government is taking steps to finalise its National Intellectual Property (IP) Policy and Strategy for the country.
Asein disclosed this on Friday while commemorating the 2024 World Intellectual Property Day with the theme “IP and the SDGs: Building Our Common Future with Innovation and Creativity’’ in Abuja.
The that the Day is observed every April 26 to celebrate the importance of intellectual property (IP) rights to encourage innovation and creativity.
The director-general was represented by Mr Emeka Ogbonna, director of Legal.
NCC boss said the policy would serve as a blueprint for a more efficient modern and responsive legal and administrative framework for the country to leverage on its creative and innovative potential.
He said that the day underscored the power of innovation and creativity in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shaping a sustainable and inclusive future for humanity.
According to him, the SDGs represent a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by the year 2030.
“IP rights play a pivotal role in fostering innovation, creativity, and technological advancements. They provide the framework that encourages men and women to develop new solutions that address global challenges.
“It is the lynchpin for incentivising the use of creative and innovative ideas to solve many of the challenges that confront humanity.
“This year’s World IP Day reminds us that intellectual property can be a powerful tool for social, economic, and environmental development.
“It encourages individuals, businesses, and governments to leverage IP rights to drive innovation, create jobs, and build resilient communities.
“By aligning our intellectual property policies and strategies with the objectives of the SDGs, we can accelerate their achievement,’’ NCC boss said.
He said in the spirit of the “Renewed Hope Agenda’’ of the present administration, government had also shown appreciable commitment to the creative industry as a major sector of the economy.
“As one of the agencies responsible for the wholesome development of the creative sector, the Nigerian Copyright Commission will continue to provide the needed institutional, legal and administrative support for the protection, promotion, regulation and enforcement of copyright.
“The commission will pay particular attention to using the copyright system to advance Goal 1 (No poverty); Goal 4 (Quality education); Goal 5 (Gender equality).
“And Goal 8 (Decent and economic growth); Goal 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and Goal 17 (Partnerships to achieve the goals).
“We are aware that the goals would have to be adapted to fit the peculiar needs of intellectual property which is an intangible asset.’ ’he added.
The director-general, who said that the commission focused on the 17 SDGs to address emerging challenges, called on authors, innovators, users, IP experts and other stakeholders to reflect on the vulnerability of the nation’s fragile knowledge and creative ecosystem.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Illmi Children’s Fund (ICF) have trained 100 schoolgirls in digital and Information and Communication Technology skills training.
Mrs. Maryam Augie-Abdulmumin, ICF Executive Director, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.
The graduation followed the training of the schoolgirls in ICF and NITDA’s DIGITGALS 2.0 programme, a collaborative initiative aimed to equip adolescent girls in Abuja with critical digital and ICT skills.
Augie-Abdukmumin said the DIGITGALS 2.0 centred around essential digital literacy, programming fundamentals, digital marketing and communication skills, and cybersecurity awareness.
She added that the girls were equipped with the confidence to compete and excel in a globalised digital economy. The graduation was in commemoration of the 2024 International Girls in ICT Day celebration on April 25.
DIGITGALS 2.0 is in its second phase and empowered 100 senior secondary school girls selected from five government schools in the Federal Capital Territory.
The girls aged between 15 and 18 years were equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in the digital world and address the growing demand for ICT skills in the 21st century.
Augie-Abdulmumin reiterated the importance of bridging the digital gap in the country starting with the girl-child.
“This graduation ceremony on International Day of Girls in ICT is a powerful symbol of our commitment to closing the digital gender gap.
This programme made possible through our partnership with NITDA, and signifies a crucial step towards bridging the digital gender gap.
It also fostering a future where women are active leaders in the tech industry. This is also an opportunity for these girls to take charge of their own future,”.
Mr Kashifu Abdullahi, the Director-General of NITDA, commended the collaborative efforts of ICF in making the DIGITGALS 2.0 a reality.
According to him, building a diverse and inclusive digital workforce is critical for Nigeria’s success.
“We are proud to collaborate with ICF on DIGITGALS 2.0 to empower these young women to become active participants in the tech industry. This programme showcases the importance of collaborative efforts in bridging the digital gender gap.
These girls have been equipped with essential digital skills, and ICF and NITDA are confident they will become active contributors to Nigeria’s thriving tech landscape,”.
ICF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children, from underprivileged backgrounds, through education, healthcare, technology and entrepreneurship initiatives.
NITDA is a public service institution established in 2007. It functions as the ICT policy implementing arm of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.
By Reuben Kalu.
In the vast expanse of the digital realm, Google looms large, an omnipresent force shaping the way we navigate, search, and conduct business online.
From its humble beginnings as a search engine to its current status as a multifaceted tech behemoth, Google has entrenched itself deeply into the fabric of the internet.
Its influence is undeniable, its reach unparalleled, and its ubiquity seemingly inescapable. But can you truly run an online business without Google?
The answer, in today’s digital landscape, is a resounding no. You have no choice.
Google’s dominance extends across multiple facets of the online world, making it virtually impossible for businesses to thrive without engaging with its ecosystem.
From search engine optimization (SEO) to online advertising, email services to analytics, Google’s suite of products and services permeates every aspect of the online business landscape.
Attempting to operate without Google is akin to swimming against a relentless tide, fighting an uphill battle fraught with obstacles and limitations.
At the heart of Google’s influence lies its search engine, the gateway through which billions of internet users navigate the vast expanse of online content. .
Google’s search algorithms wield immense power, determining which websites rank prominently in search results and which languish in obscurity.
For businesses seeking to attract organic traffic and expand their online presence, optimizing for Google’s search algorithms is not merely advisable—it’s imperative.
But Google’s influence extends far beyond search. Consider Google Ads, the company’s advertising platform that enables businesses to reach targeted audiences through paid search, display, and video advertising.
With billions of searches conducted on Google each day, Google Ads provides unparalleled reach and visibility, allowing businesses to target potential customers with pinpoint accuracy.
Attempting to compete in the online advertising arena without leveraging Google Ads is akin to entering a battle unarmed—a futile endeavor destined for failure.
Moreover, Google’s suite of productivity tools, including Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Workspace, has become indispensable for businesses seeking to streamline their operations and enhance collaboration.
With seamless integration across devices and platforms, Google’s productivity tools offer unparalleled convenience and efficiency, empowering businesses to work smarter, not harder.
Attempting to eschew Google’s productivity suite in favor of alternative solutions is not only impractical but also unwise, depriving businesses of the tools they need to succeed in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.
Furthermore, Google Analytics stands as the gold standard for web analytics, providing businesses with invaluable insights into their online performance and audience behavior.
From tracking website traffic and user engagement to analyzing conversion metrics and customer demographics, Google Analytics offers a comprehensive toolkit for optimizing online marketing strategies and driving business growth.
Attempting to gauge online performance without leveraging Google Analytics is akin to flying blind, devoid of the critical data needed to make informed decisions and drive meaningful results.
But perhaps the most formidable aspect of Google’s influence lies in its role as a gatekeeper of information and access.
With billions of users relying on Google’s platforms and services each day, the company wields immense control over the flow of online traffic and the dissemination of information.
For businesses seeking to connect with customers and expand their reach, Google’s dominance presents both a tremendous opportunity and a formidable challenge.
Attempting to circumvent Google’s influence and establish an online presence independent of its ecosystem is a Herculean task, fraught with uncertainty and risk.
In essence, attempting to run an online business without engaging with Google is akin to swimming against a relentless tide, fighting an uphill battle fraught with obstacles and limitations.
While alternative platforms and solutions exist, none possess the ubiquity, reach, and influence of Google’s ecosystem.
To thrive in today’s digital landscape, businesses must embrace Google’s dominance and leverage its suite of products and services to their advantage. You have no choice.
In conclusion, Google’s pervasive influence permeates every aspect of the online business landscape, making it virtually impossible to escape its grasp.
From search engine optimization to online advertising, productivity tools to web analytics, Google’s ecosystem encompasses a vast array of products and services that have become indispensable for businesses seeking to succeed in the digital age.
While alternative solutions may exist, none possess the ubiquity, reach, and influence of Google’s ecosystem.
To thrive in today’s digital landscape, businesses must embrace Google’s dominance and leverage its suite of products and services to their advantage.
You have no choice.
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