Israeli Cyber Firm’s Mobile Surveillance System Fails in Mexico, Returned Amid Legal Dispute

Israeli cybersecurity company Septier sold a mobile phone surveillance system to the Mexican government, but the technology failed operationally and technologically, according to critical audit reports from Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office obtained by Calcalist. The Mexican Ministry of Justice returned the system to the Mexican intermediary Comercializadora Antsua, which has since initiated legal proceedings against Septier, including a lawsuit in Israel seeking about 2 million shekels in compensation for lost business and damages.

The system, called Guardian Septier, was designed to detect and block mobile phones by scanning cellular signals within a range of several hundred meters. It could be installed covertly on vehicles or carried by agents. However, reports revealed persistent malfunctions such as difficulty locating targets even when phones were just meters away, false location reports, repeated disconnections requiring system restarts, poor battery performance, and interrupted communications during use. These issues reportedly endangered the agents operating the equipment.

Septier and Antsua signed a 2019 agreement to sell the system to the Attorney General’s Office of Quintana Roo, Mexico, for 18 million pesos (about 1.04 million USD), with the system itself costing approximately 340,000 USD. The system was intended for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat crime. Despite a replacement system delivered in May 2019, problems persisted, rendering the technology unusable.

Field tests detailed in the reports showed the system struggled to detect phones beyond 20 to 60 meters, often losing targets due to interference from cellular antennas in commercial centers. Attempts to locate targets while moving required extremely slow speeds (up to 5 km/h), and even then, the system failed to provide precise location data. Hardware used was reportedly not new, possibly contributing to the malfunctions.

Septier’s CEO, Yaron Baratz, who owns 36% of the company, and his brother, attorney Beni Baratz, who represents the company and holds 3% of shares, have yet to respond substantively to the lawsuit. Septier has about 100 employees and counts major telecom providers like AT&T, Verizon, and Israeli companies among its clients. Antsua also marketed NSO Group’s Pegasus software in Mexico, though it is unclear if this relates to the same system sold by Septier.

Septier’s lawyer stated the company has received the lawsuit and will respond in due course.