Vice President of IMANI-Africa, responsible for Research and Education, Bright Simons, has claimed that during the year 2021, the Ghanaian government paid an amount exceeding $2 million to an Israeli intelligence firm.

He alleges that the Ghanaian government paid over $2 million to Rayzone, a specialized spy technology company, under the pretext of combating cybercrime.

“In the name of fighting cybercrime, the govt of Ghana paid more than $2 million in 2021 to an Israeli company, Rayzone, which specialises in tapping phones, snooping on people & advanced spyware. Recall that officials of the prev[ious] govt (government) were jailed for bungling a similar deal,” Bright Simons shared in a Twitter post on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, a report by Bloomberg in May 2023, accused Rayzone Group of using information intended for marketers to help authorities track people through their mobile phones with a product called Echo.

According to the report, an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the UK Guardian revealed that the private Israeli intelligence firm exploited a loophole in a mobile phone network to enable their clients track people around the world.

The investigation established that Rayzone gained access to a global messaging system that allowed the company to “geolocate” mobile phone users across the world.

The activities of Rayzone have raised concerns by data protection activists who say the company is illegally aiding governments to invade the privacy of members of the public.