On February 26, 2026, Al Jazeera reported that the UK government has been investing in the development of software tested against Palestinians in Gaza, despite criticism of the move. [1]
The case reminded me of the scandal surrounding the Pegasus spyware, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group and used in Mexico during the administrations of Felipe Calderón, Peña Nieto, and López Obrador. [2]
Cellebrite is an Israeli company, linked to its country’s military, which has developed software capable of bypassing passwords and security protocols on smartphones and computers, thereby accessing data. As mentioned above, this software has been used against Palestinians in the past.
This makes this spyware a much more dangerous technology than the aforementioned Pegasus, and now the UK government (which does not enjoy a good reputation due to the Epstein Files) [3] is working with this technology, with police forces in different cities having signed a contract with Cellebrite.
It is with news like this that the words of activist Ted Kaczynski regarding this type of technology resonate: “Human freedom will disappear, because individuals and small groups will no longer have any power against large organizations armed with mega-technology.” [4]
Kaczynski argues that the technological structure of surveillance cameras and super-surveillance has restricted human freedom.
Now this permanent digital surveillance technology, with spyware at the service of armies and states, is not only used to monitor, but also to detect potential victims, kill, torture, kidnap, or commit genocide on a large scale and broadcast it on social media.
This brings to the table the debate about the neutrality of technology. Optimistic defenders of technology point out that it can be used for good or for evil, as it is a neutral tool.
The development of spyware such as that developed by Cellebrite shows that this idea of neutrality is completely false; the technology itself was born from the ideas that gave rise to capitalist ideology.
French sociologist and theologian Jacques Ellul argues against the idea of neutrality, stating that technology is capable of imposing its own way of thinking, which consists of seeking efficiency at any price, uncontrolled growth, and power. [5]
Ellul published The Technological Society in 1954, so he did not live to see the digital nightmare of the 21st century, developed by companies such as Cellebrite.
Both Kaczynski and Ellul warned about this use of technology to control societies, but we have gone from simple control to a digital nightmare. Now, this spyware is designed to kill journalists or activists in the West and to commit genocide on a huge scale.
According to Ellul, technology is neither good nor bad, but it is not neutral either. This idea of neutrality is completely ridiculous.
Technologies are being used by companies, armies, and states to restrict the freedom of their own citizens or to massacre entire populations.
The Al Jazeera article also mentions BriefCam, another Israeli company that has been providing surveillance software to the Cumbria police (United Kingdom) since 2022. This software includes facial recognition and vehicle license plate recognition tools, and has also been used previously in Palestinian territory.
What can ordinary citizens do? They can complain on social media via their cell phones, pro-Palestinian and human rights organizations can report these acts to the media, but will it do any good? No, they can vent on Reddit forums or in articles, but that won’t stop spyware from continuing to be used.
Because this military technology is not in our hands, nor in our power; it simply does not belong to us, it belongs to private companies, and it has always been that way.
Jacques Ellul was right in saying that technology is not neutral; it is in the hands of powerful groups and is used against us, not only through spyware, but also through entertainment, control, and distraction. It works on many levels.
Right now, the UK is developing this software, and lots of other countries are gonna do the same. At most, criticism from the press might make them stop using it for a while or switch to something else, which could be way more dangerous.
Cellebrite’s software and other companies’ software show us that we are vulnerable, weak, and defenseless against these tech megacorporations and that our freedom is more Limited than before.
It is not only a nightmare, it is a digital hell to which we have been condemned by our own governments, political leaders, and private companies, to which we have all somehow surrendered.
Notes
[1] Noticia original, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/blood-tech-the-uk-and-the-israeli-spyware-that-helps-underpin-genocide
[2] https://r3d.mx/2025/04/14/gobierno-mexicano-uso-pegasus-para-espiar-al-menos-a-456-personas-en-2019/
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/es/2026/02/10/espanol/mundo/archivos-epstein-crisis-reino-unido.html
[4] Ted Kaczynski, La sociedad industrial y su futuro (1995)
[5] Jacques Ellul, La sociedad tecnológica (1954)
