Mexico returns spy system to Israeli company: 'Failed to locate mobile phones'

Mexico has returned a cellular surveillance system to the Israeli cybersecurity company Septier after it failed operationally. Audit reports from Mexico's attorney general reveal serious malfunctions: difficulty locating targets even at short range, repeated disconnections, and weak battery life. The intermediary Antsua is seeking compensation of about 2 million shekels. The system was intended for the state of Quintana Roo for 18 million pesos.

Mexico has returned a cellular surveillance and tracking system to the Israeli cybersecurity company Septier after it failed operationally and technologically. This emerges from scathing audit reports by the attorney general's office in the Mexican Ministry of Justice, which reached Calcalist. The system, Guardian Septier, was designed to locate and block phones but suffered significant malfunctions: difficulty locating targets even when the phone was within a few meters, incorrect location reports, repeated disconnections, and poor battery performance. The Mexican Ministry of Justice returned the system to the intermediary in the deal, the Mexican company Comercializadora Antsua, which has initiated legal proceedings, including a lawsuit in Israel, against Septier of Petah Tikva, demanding compensation of about 2 million shekels. The agreement was signed in 2019 to sell the system to the attorney general's office of the state of Quintana Roo for 18 million pesos ($1.04 million). Reports describe tests where the system failed to locate targets even at short range, failing repeatedly. Septier, which employs about 100 workers, previously supplied systems to carriers such as AT&T and Verizon. Attorney Benny Bretz, representing Septier, said the company will study the lawsuit and respond in court.