Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/202611/ And it doesn't just stop at the US border. Oxygen claims that it sells its tools in 150+ countries, including in Europe. This is a major threat to both human rights and national security. Every government using Oxygen must investigate, end these contracts, and impose sanctions! 010
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/202610/ I am incredibly grateful to the Department of Commerce BIS, which leads the investigation, DOJ, and others in the US government for finally taking this major step towards accountability. But I also wonder how did this company pass federal vetting for a decade? 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20269/ But Russian civil society knew all long this was a complete ruse! Official Russian legal entities registry shows that the Russian company MKO Systems and Oxygen Software are the same company! 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20268/ The cover-up started after Russia's 2022 full scale invasion of Ukraine: – installed a US CEO – renamed the Russian company (from Oxygen to MKO-Systems) – wiped the Russian owners from US filings – moved builds to US cloud (while the code stayed in Russia) 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20267/ Oxygen is the machinery behind human rights abuses in Russia. Anti-war posts, donations to Ukraine, criticism of Russian government are pulled from peoples' phones at a protest or border with Oxygen tools and turned into criminal charges & long prison terms. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20266/ First Department documented how Russian security services use Oxygen tech (Mobile Criminalist) to pull EVERYTHING out of seized phones — logins, passwords, private chats, social media posts, photos, and more. It's installed at border crossings & available to every security agency. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20265/ Inside Russia, the SAME product is sold as "Мобильный криминалист" (Mobile Criminalist) — same code, different label. First Department (Первый Отдел) showed it's basically a localized copy of Oxygen's software. By 2025 it was the #1 phone-hacking tool on the Russian market. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20264/ Oxygen sold its tech to the Pentagon, ICE, FBI, DEA, DHS & the State Dept, among others. And who else used this company's software? The FSB. Also Russia's Investigative Committee & Ministry of Internal Affairs. The same outfit was selling to US law enforcement AND Russian intelligence! 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20263/ Prosecutors say Oxygen told the US government it had ZERO foreign ownership and that its software was developed in the US. In reality: owned and controlled by 5 Russian nationals through a Cyprus holding. Code written, reviewed, and managed in Russia! 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/20262/ Oxygen's US CEO, Lee Reiber, was arrested Sunday in Idaho. The Moscow-based CTO, Oleg Davydov, was also picked up at Heathrow trying to board a flight to Turkey. He will be extradited to the US. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud & face up to 20 years in prison. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 24/09/2026🚨 BREAKING: U.S. DOJ arrested the CEO of Oxygen Forensics, Lee Reiber, for concealing the company's Russian ownership. Civil society, including First Department, @olgalautman.bsky.social, & myself, have been sounding alarms for years about this company! 1/ www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr... 195
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 06/07/20265/ @accessnow.org and 30+ civil society orgs & individuals, incl. @cdteu.org & EDRi, are calling on the EU to: 🔹 Launch an independent investigation 🔹 Provide effective remedies to victims 🔹 Fully implement the EU PEGA Committee recommendations Read our full PR and recommendations below:t.cohttps://www.accessnow.org/press-release/same-government-more-victims-access-now-calls-for-an-urgent-investigation-into-hacking-of-mep/ 063
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 06/07/20264/ 2+ years on: NO government has claimed responsibility. NO ONE has been held accountable. And now we learn about another victim — a then-sitting MEP investigating EU spyware scandals! This suggests that the full scale of the abuse is likely far bigger than we thought. 121
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 06/07/20263/ The victims included @rferl.org.web.brid.gy & Nobel Prize-awarded media @novayagazeta.bsky.social journalists. We didn't name the perpetrator at the time. But we excluded Russia, Belarus, and Poland, among others. 121
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 06/07/20262/ In 2023-2024, @accessnow.org and @citizenlab.ca published two investigations uncovering Pegasus attacks on Russian & Belarusian civil society figures living in the Baltics and Poland. Several victims were hacked from the same email account: rauharepo888[@]gmail.com 132
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Former MEP was hacked by the same gov behind the Pegasus attacks we exposed 2 years ago! @citizenlab.ca revealed that Stelios Kouloglou, former EU PEGA Committee member, was targeted by the same operator that hacked several Russian- & Belarusian-speaking journalists + activists living in EU 🧵1/ 197
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 03/07/2026NEW: A politician investigating Pegasus spyware… had their phone hacked with Pegasus multiple times. The compromises came days ahead of key meetings of the spyware inquiry Story with @lhn.bsky.socialwired.comEU Politicians Investigated Pegasus Spyware. Then It Ended Up on One of Their Phones“It is a direct attack on the rule of law,” says one European Parliament member of the new findings from Citizen Lab. 6372173
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Spyware used against MEP investigating Pegasus abuses, report finds www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...theguardian.comSpyware used against MEP investigating Pegasus abuses, report findsResearchers say Stelios Kouloglou’s device was compromised after he joined European parliamentary committee 118087
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 25/06/2026NEW: Russia hacked into the phone of a Putin political opponent with Cellebrite — three months after the company said it cut ties with the Russian government. Cellebrite said that “any use of legacy Cellebrite hardware in Russia after March 2021 is entirely unauthorized.” Clearly it didn’t matter.techcrunch.comCellebrite said it cut off Russia, but Russia used its tools anyway | TechCrunchSecurity researchers found evidence that Russian authorities hacked the iPhone of a political opponent using a phone-unlocking device made by Cellebrite, even after the company said it would stop sell... 02311
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 25/06/2026NEW @citizenlab.ca report finds Russia 🇷🇺 used Cellebrite to break into activist's phone 👇 citizenlab.ca/research/rus...citizenlab.caRussia Breaks Into Human Rights Activist's Phone With Cellebrite - The Citizen LabWe analyzed Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov’s phone, finding that Russian authorities used forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite to gain access to his device. A document prepared by Russian a... 33019
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20269/ Read full @citizenlab.ca report & key security recommendations here: citizenlab.ca/research/rus... Civil society can also contact our Helpline at help@accessnow.org for digital security support. 020
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20268/ To demonstrate a genuine human rights commitment, Cellebrite must stop sales to known abusers, implement "killswitches" to stop the misuse, ensure their tech is watermarked and forensically traceable, & provide remedy to the victims. More in @accessnow.org post: www.accessnow.org/cellebrite-r...accessnow.orgRussia used Cellebrite tech to hack prominent activistA Citizen Lab investigation confirms evidence Russian authorities used Cellebrite tool to hack prominent Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov after the Cellebrite claimed to have ceased sales to Russia. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20267/ Furthermore, Cellebrite must explain why it repeatedly enters into contracts with countries notorious for human rights abuses, including Belarus, China, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Ethiopia & more. Belarus was a dictatorship for 20+ years before Cellebrite's 2021 exit. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20266/ While we welcome Cellebrite’s exit from Russia, this evidence casts serious doubt on the company’s claims that withdrawal makes their technology "ineffective within a short period of time" as stated in their reply to our joint letter with the Citizen Lab. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20265/ These are not just hypothetical harms. In 2023, Cellebrite tool helped convict anti-war activist Dmitry Ivanov to 8.5 years. Pivovarov served most of his 4-year sentence. FSB also targeted other Open Russia activists with phishing after searching their communications on Pivovarov’s phone. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20264/ @haaretzcom.bsky.social, Eitay Mack, @en.zona.media & First Department have documented multiple cases (backed by the Russian authorities' own documents) showing that UFEDs were still used against human rights defenders & anti-war protesters YEARS after the company's alleged exit. 130
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20263/ While Cellebrite claimed it had ended the sales to Russia "immediately" and asserted that it could remotely disable devices to prevent future misuse, the evidence from independent media and lawyers tells a different story... 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/20262/ In March 2021, Cellebrite announced it had ceased operations in Russia after lawyer Eitay Mack & @haaretzcom.bsky.social revealed that the UFED tools were being used by Russian Investigative Committee to prosecute opposition figures, including Lyubov Sobol & Pussy Riot. 110
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 25/06/2026BREAKING: @citizenlab.ca investigation reveals Russian security services used @cellebrite.bsky.social tools to hack the phone of a prominent former political prisoner Andrey Pivovarov. More on why this is concerning below 🧵1/ citizenlab.ca/research/rus... 121
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 09/06/2026Spoke to @darynant.bsky.social about Russia's new SORM regulation. These new mass surveillance rules are aimed at ensuring that the Russian people do not dare to express their critical views online out of fear of being identified and prosecuted. therecord.media/russia-upgra...therecord.mediaRussia upgrades rules for its digital spy system to better track citizens onlineNew regulations published by Russia's Ministry of Digital Development at the end of May updated the technical standards governing SORM, formally known as the System for Operative Investigative Activit... 010
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 08/06/2026Glad to see WhatsApp continuing to invest significant efforts & resources into countering the threat of spyware and holding companies like NSO Group accountable! 071
Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻 @natynettle.bsky.social · 05/06/2026Spoke to Wired Italia @rositarijtano.bsky.social about the lack of justice for the victims of Paragon’s spyware 1 year after WhatsApp notifications. www.wired.it/article/ital...wired.itOne Year On, Italy Is Still Waiting for Answers From Paragon Over Spyware ScandalIn 2025, Graphite spyware was discovered on the phones of Italian journalists and activists. Prosecutors have not yet received answers from Paragon, the Israeli spyware maker 011
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Greece 🇬🇷 has witnessed a flurry of corruption and espionage against journalists, but the journalists are relentless and principled and the truth will eventually come out through the courts and through public interest investigations. www.dnews.gr/eidhseis/new...dnews.grCitizen Lab’s Ron Deibert: “Accountability may be delayed, but the truth will emerge” - DnewsGreece’s spyware scandal remains a live test case for Europe’s rule of law, according to Ron Deibert, founder and director of Citizen Lab, who warned in Athens that the global expansion of the commerc... 0164
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Oh and here's the photo of the UN officials inspecting the poster after I refused to let Egyptian security take it away (2009). The poster is framed and hung on the wall of the inside of @citizenlab.ca to this day :) 081
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 02/05/2026Another interesting coincidence: cofounder of @accessnow.org @brettsolomon.bsky.social was in attendance at that IGF, and that's where he and I first met. He described to me his vision for @accessnow.org which he was about to start. 133
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 02/05/2026Interesting coincidence: I faced a similar type of pressure in 2009 in Egypt 🇪🇬 because of China 🇨🇳 at the UN's Internet Governance Forum (IGF) China forced UN officials to shut down our book launch because our book mentioned Tibet. Big standoff between security & me news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technol... 1157
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 02/05/2026As many are aware by now, @accessnow.org 's annual @rightscon.org was cancelled because of pressure on the host govt Zambia 🇿🇲 by China 🇨🇳 www.rightscon.org/rc26-stateme... In their statement, @accessnow.org rightly flags this is as an example of transnational repressionrightscon.orgA statement to our community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in ZambiaOur official statement to the digital rights community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia 34134
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Alex Warofka @alexwarofka.com · 29/04/2026I have many thoughts about the last-minute cancellation of #RightsCon in Zambia, what it means for the community, and what lessons must be learned. But first, I’m sharing empathy for the @accessnow.org team and everyone dealing with financial, logistical, and security fallout from this situation. 1154
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Suzanne Smalley @suzannesmalley.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Zambia announced it was cancelling the large digital freedoms conference RightsCon days before it was to be held in Lukasa even as thousands were en route. Officials cited concerns about the conference's themes. The Chinese govt reportedly bankrolled the event venue. therecord.media/zabia-cancel...therecord.mediaZambia cancels global digital freedoms conference days before startOn Tuesday, Zambia’s Minister of Technology and Science offered the first hint that the conference would be cancelled, telling a Zambian news outlet that participants’ security clearances were incompl... 095
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻DW Akademie @akademie.dw.com · 05/05/2026The short notice cancellation of RightsCon 2026 in Zambia is a dangerous precedent for digital rights and press freedom. It weakens global exchange on freedom of expression and undermines the spirit of UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day. 👉 Read Tabani Moyo's interview: akademie.dw.com/en/righscon-...akademie.dw.com"This is going to spread like a veld fire."Tabani Moyo, Regional Secretariat Director of the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA), on the cancellation of RightsCon in Zambia and its effects on World Press Freedom Day celebrations. 043
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 01/05/2026We're grateful to Access Now for its leadership and for speaking up clearly and directly about the interference that led to the cancellation of RightsCon this week. This incident only emphasizes why their work is so important!rightscon.orgA statement to our community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in ZambiaOur official statement to the digital rights community about why RightsCon 2026 will not take place in Zambia 193
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 01/05/2026This cancellation is going to get caught up in geopolitics, but I want to underscore the biggest losers are civil societies in Africa, Lat Am, Southeast Asia — and that China is the reason for this. 4/5 1151
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 01/05/2026China is the reason why @rightscon.org, one of the world's largest human rights conferences attended by thousands, has been canceled in Zambia — a location specifically chosen to honor the Global South. I've been to the past three (Taipei, Costa Rica, online). Some thoughts... 1/5 13521
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 30/04/2026This is an attack on civil society ... "World’s Largest Digital Human Rights Conference Suddenly Canceled" www.404media.co/rightscon-hu...404media.coWorld’s Largest Digital Human Rights Conference Suddenly CanceledRightsCon was delayed by Zambia's Ministry of Information for "thematic issues" and problems with speakers. 1307
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻IFEX @ifex.org · 05/05/2026🌍 Members and partners of IFEX and the @gfmd.info strongly condemn the Zambian government's last-minute cancellation of RightsCon 2026, a decision driven by Chinese pressure over the participation of Taiwanese delegates. Read the statement: buff.ly/2Y6Scvwifex.org 065
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻404 Media @404media.co · 29/04/2026RightsCon was delayed by Zambia's Ministry of Information for "thematic issues" and problems with speakers.404media.coWorld’s Largest Digital Human Rights Conference Suddenly 'Postponed'RightsCon was delayed by Zambia's Ministry of Information for "thematic issues" and problems with speakers. 06334
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻WIRED @wired.com · 01/05/2026Access Now, the group that organizes RightsCon, says Zambian officials asked it to exclude Taiwanese participants if it wanted the event to proceed as planned. www.wired.com/story/the-ch...wired.comThe Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference CanceledAccess Now, the group that organizes RightsCon, says Zambian officials asked it to exclude Taiwanese participants if it wanted the event to proceed as planned. 04925
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Human Rights Watch @hrw.org · 04/05/2026The Zambia government’s flimsy reasons for postponing RightsCon suggest that the government wanted to control the summit’s human rights agenda. The authorities should fully explain the last-minute cancellation, which is a serious loss for the promotion of human rights.hrw.orgZambia: Summit on Human Rights, Technology Effectively CanceledThe Zambian government's decision to postpone RightsCon 2026, effectively canceling the summit, raises concerns about the authorities' commitment to free expression and assembly and about possible Chinese government interference. 02610
Reposted by Natalia Krapiva 🕊️👩🏻💻Ingo Dachwitz @roofjoke.netzpolitik.org · 05/05/2026Das ist heftig: China hat durch Infrastrukturprojekte im Globalen Süden über Jahrzehnte massive Abhängigkeiten geschaffen. Jetzt soll die Volksrepublik diese Macht genutzt haben, um die #RightsCon in Sambia zu verhindern, eine der wichtigsten Konferenzen für digitale Grund- und Menschenrechte.netzpolitik.orgDruck aus China soll zu Absage der RightsCon geführt habenEine der wichtigsten Konferenzen zu digitalen Grund- und Menschenrechten sollte diese Woche in Sambia stattfinden. Doch die Veranstaltung in dem südafrikanischen Land wurde kurzfristig abgesagt. Die V... 03716