# DHS units to re-up contract with controversial mobile device data extractor (FedScoop, 2026) > *This May 11, 2026 FedScoop report documents that ICE and Homeland Security Investigations plan a five-year IDIQ contract with a $100 million ceiling for Cellebrite, names Cellebrite as "the most widely utilized and deployed computer forensic tool" within HSI, and records privacy-advocate concerns about warrantless device searches against immigrants under the border-search exception — alongside Cellebrite's own stated position. It matters to the Arkansas surveillance investigation as the most current evidence of Cellebrite's federal U.S. domestic deployment against immigrants, and because it states the vendor's own framing fairly (tools used "after an event has occurred — not to conduct surveillance"). This is tier-3 established journalism.* ## Source metadata - **Publisher:** FedScoop (Scoop News Group); author byline "lwilkinson" - **URL:** https://fedscoop.com/dhs-cellebrite-privacy-drones-data-mobile-devices-ice/ - **Archived:** 2026-06-07 via firecrawl_scrape (markdown) - **Tier:** 3 (established journalism) ## Extract — verbatim (lightly cleaned) "The Department of Homeland Security intends to continue its work with Cellebrite, a provider of digital forensics hardware and software tools, according to forecast documents released last week." "Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as Homeland Security Investigations, plan to award a five-year, indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract with a $100 million ceiling to the vendor later this year." "Cellebrite's products enable the agency to access data from cellphones, tablets and — more recently — unmanned aerial vehicles. The Israeli firm's data extraction capabilities are 'the most widely utilized and deployed computer forensic tool' within HSI, per the document. Cellebrite has been deployed across DHS, including its reported use within the Secret Service to break into the phone of the man who shot President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., in 2024." "The vendor provides its data extraction tools to around 7,000 customers across the public and private sectors, including federal agencies outside of DHS. The Department of Justice served as the sponsoring agency for Cellebrite's pursuit of FedRAMP High Authorization, which it achieved last week after an 18-month process." ### Privacy / domestic-use concerns (verbatim) "'Cellebrite's mobile device data extraction tools are extremely invasive,' said Jeramie Scott, senior counsel and director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Surveillance Oversight Program. 'These tools can bypass device passcodes and encryption to access the enormous amount of personal information on mobile devices.'" "'The use of data extraction tools needs to be done under the strictest of oversight — something ICE has shown very little interest in,' Scott said via email. 'It's fair to question whether ICE will try to use the border search exception and the broad border zone defined by the government to expand warrantless searches of mobile devices to major cities along the coasts and other areas that fall within the border zone.'" "'I don't think people realize just how invasive these mobile forensic tools are,' Cooper Quintin, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told FedScoop." "One of Cellebrite's newer endeavors, dubbed Safeguard Mode, aims to combat device inactivity reboots to give agencies time to get judicial authorization prior to extracting the data... 'That's a feature I'm concerned about,' Quintin said. 'Depending on how they're doing it, it requires breaking into the phone. To me, that's the equivalent of police kicking down your door and standing in the door frame while they wait for the judge to give them a search warrant.'" "The company's tools have been linked to reported human rights violations, and critics have advocated for greater oversight of Cellebrite customers' usage." ### Cellebrite's own position (verbatim — stated fairly) "In response to FedScoop's questions, Cellebrite emphasized its use of guardrails to prevent misuse and illegal use of its tools." "'At Cellebrite, we believe citizens have a right to keep their personal information free from unnecessary intrusion,' Cellebrite's Cooper said in an email. 'That's why our tools require valid legal authorization — which includes privacy protections under the law — before any device data is accessed, and our solutions are built exclusively for authorized professionals conducting lawful investigations.'" "'Our technology is used in forensic environments after an event has occurred — not to conduct surveillance or monitor individuals,' he added."