The Citizen Lab

The deployment of NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware is, unfortunately, not new. Since 2016, the Citizen Lab + others have documented the abuse of this government-exclusive technology. To help keep track of these developing issues, we've created a living thread for all of our reports🧵

"At the moment, tech companies are more focused on government relations that protect their own survival or bottom line. We want a race to the top, not a race to the bottom. The future of Hong Kong’s internet depends on it." - @lokmantsui t.co/KrADhCeYoP

According to @lotus_ruan and @gabriellelim, fears of Chinese disinformation are often exaggerated by overblown assessments of the effects of China’s propaganda campaigns. In other words: evidence of activity is not the same as evidence of impact. t.co/KGO1edoimC

Massive abuses of NSO's Pegasus spyware uncovered by @AmnestyTech @FbdnStories #PegasusProject We @citizenlab were asked to verify analysis and undertake a peer review of methods, and found them all sound. Here is our peer review: t.co/uBTowaYlGG

Even the most well-resourced surveillance companies make operational mistakes and leave digital traces, making their marketing claims about being stealthy and undetectable highly questionable. Read our latest investigation into spyware vendor Candiru: t.co/wiMWAuz1GV

NEW REPORT Hooking Candiru: Another Mercenary Spyware Vendor Comes into Focus t.co/wiMWAuz1GV

"It’s no surprise that racial and immigrant justice groups are rightly concerned over how [federally-collected COVID] data might be used by other agencies, like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to surveille vulnerable populations." - @wbaballard t.co/U82c80Ag9T

"The chill of national security threatens to deepen suspicions towards some of our world-leading researchers and exceptional international students, and those running universities must publicly stand up for their communities." - @caparsons t.co/JpkmTpsAjq

過去兩年間，上千張與香港民主運動有關的圖片被審查。通過我們製作的交互圖片來了解這些事件：t.co/z8VOCqtvwJ

Join @RonDeibert, in conversation with @AndresVelasco, as they discuss how to construct a communications ecosystem that supports civil society and contributes to the betterment of the world. Wednesday, July 7, 12:30 pm EST t.co/yqH4wkDatr #LSEMunk t.co/3kdAa7PuNZ

“From where I sit, ransomware is the equivalent of a new and virulent disease," says @caparsons. "It’s only going to get worse.” t.co/Ok5UMY31Xf

In the two years since heightened calls for democracy in Hong Kong began, thousands of images have been censored on Chinese social media. From calls for international support to memes, no image of the movement is off limits.

JOB POSTING: Interested in the technical, legal, and/or policy aspects of censorship and surveillance? Apply to work with the Citizen Lab as part of the @OpenTechFund Information Controls Fellowship! Deadline: June 30 t.co/WHcBp68rmd

Congratulations to @RonDeibert and all nominees who were shortlisted for the @writerstrust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing! t.co/GpzaqTXGG5

The latest from Citizen Lab fellow, @jon_penney, looks at the chilling effects of digital surveillance and proposes a unified theory to better understand how we are deterred from fully expressing ourselves online.

How does the UN’s latest effort to secure cyberspace fall short? t.co/rIe6iXNgFE

From helping His Holiness the Dalai Lama to becoming the target of a private-intelligence firm, @RonDeibert reflects on 20 years of @citizenlab work t.co/giKQc3cYmv

Recently, NSO Group extended an invitation to meet and discuss our concerns about their ongoing spyware abuse in more detail. We do not believe this invitation is made in good faith and have declined. Here’s why:

When we talk about personal data, we're really talking about human rights. Unfortunately, by focusing on consumer interests, proposed Bill C-11 misses the mark and inadequately addresses the privacy needs of everyone in Canada. t.co/VyIohu7ujo

RESOURCE: Annotated bibliography on transnational digital repression How do states exert pressure on citizens living abroad in order to constrain political action that threatens regime stability or social and cultural norms? Read more: t.co/bjDBWXN6jW

Join @citizenlab senior researcher @jsrailton along with @lindsaysfreeman @epiraces for a conversation on the #BerkeleyProtocol. Details below 👇👇

The newly created RESET Scholarship will support women and/or BIPOC @UofT students in political science and is aimed at increasing diversity of perspective and experience in tech and human rights. Please consider donating to help it grow! t.co/ChFtdIjnWa

New reporting shows the RCMP obtained facial recognition software, which broke internal purchasing rules t.co/UFLM70CMJ7

In December 2020, NSO Group stated that it would look into the use of its Pegasus spyware against journalists at Al Jazeera and Al Araby TV and open an investigation “if warranted.”

In the latest from @uoftmagazine: @RonDeibert, @gabriellelim and @jsrailton discuss online disinformation and offline extremism t.co/yTfVKnHLXI

What does the proposed Bill C-11 mean for transparency, access to personal information, and whistleblower protections? @caparsons explains: t.co/KRXyJfIvk6

Despite the continuing violence and turmoil in Bangladesh, Global Affairs Canada gave Canadian tech company Octasic approval to sell and export mobile phone spy equipment to the Bangladeshi government. More from @sienaanstis and @Edin_O: t.co/oPCRT7uZkR

"The Canadian government’s resounding silence facilitates one of the features of the surveillance industry that allows it to operate with limited regulation or accountability: secrecy." - @sienaanstis @Edin_O t.co/oPCRT7uZkR

Join @RonDeibert @MarietjeSchaake @emilyrauhala & Kai Strittmatter for their upcoming @MIGSinstitute panel: From Surveillance to Digital Authoritarianism: Breaking Down Tech and Human Rights Silos t.co/tiwzUVuZju

If you're a journalist, researcher, or scholar interested in algorithmic policing, make sure to check out our FOI portal. We're happy to share what we've obtained from federal and provincial departments and ministries, as well as municipal police services. t.co/KU7JPBqXAS