Gardaí Contracted Israeli Firm Cognyte Despite History of Abuse Concerns
An Garda Síochána has contracted with Cognyte, an Israeli technology firm, raising concerns given the companyS documented history of involvement in surveillance practices that have been used to target vulnerable populations and political opponents in various countries.
Cognyte’s software offers a comprehensive platform for law enforcement, allowing access to a range of data points on individuals. For example, a Garda coudl utilize the software to access a criminal’s file, including intercepted text messages, CCTV footage appearances, and social media accounts. While the use of such technology to target gang leaders may seem uncontroversial to some, investigations reveal a pattern of abuse linked to Cognyte’s products.
When operating under its former parent company, Verint Systems, Cognyte’s technology was reportedly used by Indonesian authorities to monitor members of the LGBT community and religious minorities, as detailed in an investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In Azerbaijan, police allegedly used the software to collect information about the sexual orientations of individuals on Facebook, leading to the subsequent arrest and torture of 45 gay men and transgender women, according to the same report.
Cognyte actively promotes its investigation analytics platform, even offering a free demo on its website and showcasing its benefits to Gardaí at a Dublin law enforcement conference in May. Though, other products remain less publicly advertised, including software sold to Myanmar, where the Rohingya people are facing persecution.
Further insight into Cognyte’s more secretive offerings came to light in 2023 with a Brazilian federal police investigation into the intelligence services during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. The investigation alleges that Bolsonaro’s regime used Cognyte’s “First Mile” product to track the location of political opponents by monitoring the cell towers their phones connected to. Authorities accuse officials of illegally tracking over 33,000 individuals, including politicians, journalists, and lawyers.Beyond location tracking, Cognyte also manufactures conventional espionage tools capable of intercepting internet data, texts, and phone calls. Amnesty International reported that authorities in South Sudan used a Cognyte product to intercept all phone conversations within the country.
concerns extend to European nations as well. Last year, the Dutch newspaper NRC reported that Dutch authorities purchased a telephone and data-tapping system from Cognyte without parliamentary oversight, intending to replace a malfunctioning system from another Israeli company, Elbit.Notably, the Cognyte system also reportedly failed to function as intended.
