A recent investigation by Vice's Motherboard revealed state police departments in the U.S. have spent millions of dollars on phone cracking technology from the Israeli firm Cellebrite.
Of the 20 states examined, Iowa topped the list in the money spent on Cellebrite tools including device purchases, renewals, upgrades and trainings for a combined total of $258,230 spent between 2010 and this year, according to the report.
Arizona and New Jersey weren't far behind spending $227,885 and $218,867, respectively, during the same time period. The publication noted that some funds were used to trade in one model for another and, in some cases, funds were spent on extra training to use the forensics gear.
Cellebrite made headlines earlier this year after its technology was used to crack into the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter amid a heated legal battle between Apple and the FBI concerning the device's encryption keys.
