CBP Wants New Tech to Search for Hidden Data on Seized Phones

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is asking tech companies to transportation integer forensics devices that are designed to process and analyse matter messages, pictures, videos, and contacts from seized phones, laptops, and different devices astatine nan United States border, according to documents reviewed by WIRED.

The agency said successful a national registry listing that nan devices it’s seeking must person very circumstantial capabilities, specified arsenic nan expertise to find a “hidden language” successful a person’s matter messages; place circumstantial objects, “like a reddish tricycle,” crossed different videos; entree chats successful encrypted messaging apps; and “find patterns” successful ample datasets for “intel generation.” The listing was first posted connected June 20 and updated connected July 1.

CBP has been utilizing Cellebrite to extract and analyse information from devices since 2008. But nan agency said that it wants to “expand” and modernize its integer forensics program. Last year, CBP claims, it did searches connected much than 47,000 physics devices—which is somewhat higher than nan astir 41,500 devices it searched successful 2023 but a melodramatic emergence from 2015, erstwhile it searched just much than 8,500 devices.

The alleged petition for accusation (RFI) comes amid a drawstring of reports of CBP detaining group entering nan US, sometimes questioning them astir their recreation plans aliases political beliefs, and astatine times collecting and searching their phones. In 1 high-profile incident successful March, a Lebanese professor astatine Brown University’s aesculapian schoolhouse was sent backmost to Lebanon aft authorities searched her phone and alleged she was “sympathetic” to nan erstwhile Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated successful September 2024.

In nan RFI, CBP said that nan integer forensics vendor it chooses will motion a statement successful nan 3rd fiscal 4th of 2026, which runs from April done June. CBP has 8 progressive contracts for Cellebrite software, licenses, equipment, and training—worth much than $1.3 cardinal successful total—that will extremity betwixt July 2025 and April 2026. CBP appears to usage devices different than Cellebrite. The agency said successful nan caller listing that it uses “a wide assortment of integer information extraction tools,” but it doesn’t sanction these tools.

CBP did not respond to requests for comment. Cellebrite spokesperson Victor Cooper tells WIRED that nan institution is “unable to remark connected progressive requests for accusation proposals.”

Three national statement listings mention that CBP pays for Cellebrite’s Universal Forensic Extraction Device 4PC, package designed to analyse information on a user’s existing PC aliases laptop. The listing for nan “license renewal” doesn’t mention a circumstantial merchandise but whitethorn beryllium referring to nan Investigative Digital Intelligence Platform, which is Cellebrite’s “end-to-end” suite of tools of analyzing information from devices.

Across Cellebrite’s intelligence platform, users person a wide scope of capabilities. It tin sort images based connected whether they incorporate definite elements, for illustration jewelry, handwriting, aliases documents. It tin besides spell done matter messages, arsenic good arsenic nonstop messages on apps for illustration TikTok, and filter retired messages that mention definite topics, for illustration grounds obstruction, family, aliases nan police. Users tin besides unveil photos “hidden” by a instrumentality owner, make societal maps of friends and contacts, and plot nan locations wherever a personification sent matter messages.