Reporters’ phones show signs of Tellwright’s Handset remote collection
Forensic checks of phones belonging to seven journalists found traces that matched components of Handset, the phone surveillance product Tellwright sells to governments. None of the reporters knew. Tellwright says it does not discuss its customers.
Updated 2 min read
For four months, The Overseen and two independent security researchers examined the phones of 11 journalists who cover immigration enforcement, policing and national security, in the United States and two other countries. On seven of the phones, the researchers found files and network records that matched, in name and structure, components of Handset, the “device intelligence” product sold by Tellwright Systems of Arlington, Virginia.
Handset is best known as a tool for extracting data from phones that police have seized. Since 2021 Tellwright has also offered what it calls remote collection to government customers through its Lawful Access Program, which it opened to national agencies in allied nations last May. The company does not say which governments take part.
The traces were dated between June 2024 and January 2025. On four phones they appeared within days of the reporter publishing a story about a government agency; on two, they recurred over several months.
None of the seven knew. “The first thing I thought about was who I had talked to,” said one, a reporter who has written about immigration detention for nine years. Like the others, she asked not to be named.
The Overseen is not publishing the technical indicators, because they could identify the journalists. We have shared them with each reporter and, with their agreement, with their editors.
Tellwright answered The Overseen’s questions in writing. It said it does not confirm or deny whether any agency or government is a customer and does not discuss how customers use its products. It said remote collection is available only to government customers enrolled in the Lawful Access Program, after review by its Responsible Use Council, and that its products are used only in accordance with applicable law.
Frothly’s director of privacy programs, whose work at the nonprofit research institute includes protecting journalists from recognition systems, said the harm reaches beyond the reporters. “A reporter’s phone holds every person who ever trusted them with something,” she said. “When the phone is compromised, all of those people are exposed, and most of them will never know.”
Tellwright was asked whether it had reviewed any use of Handset against journalists. It said it takes every allegation of misuse seriously and suspends access where the facts warrant it.
Update, : Tellwright published a statement calling this article inaccurate and saying it had not been given the opportunity to examine the technical indicators. The Overseen declined to share them because they could identify the journalists. We stand by our reporting.
Correction, : An earlier version of this story said Tellwright opened its Lawful Access Program to allied governments in June 2024. It did so in May 2024.