The Citizen Lab

@citizenlab · on X ↗
1,764 posts archived · 0 deleted · tracked since Oct 22, 2026 · checked 35m ago · Download · RSS
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Academic research unit at @UofT investigating novel threats to democracy, human rights, and global security in the digital ecosystem.

📍 Toronto, Canada

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Why it's watchedhuman rights online activists

The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
“I can see there are Sandvine installations operating in a number of very problematic countries and probably will be for a while.” The Citizen Lab’s @RonDeibert talks to @CTVKitchener’s @SpencerCTV about Sandvine being removed from U.S. blacklist. t.co/5I4N4I1e9S
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
The Citizen Lab's @jsrailton speaks to @WIRED about the U.S. @ICEgov's $2M contract with Israeli mercenary spyware vendor Paragon Solutions. t.co/eIWS9DTCFh
Image in @citizenlab's post: The Citizen Lab's @jsrailton speaks to @WIRED about the U.S. @ICEgov's $2M contract with Israeli me…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · quote ↗ 🔏
The Citizen Lab's @nouraaljizawi will be speaking about the growing trend of digital transnational repression at #WomeninJournalism's event this Wednesday (10/23). Learn more: t.co/521AMcANDf @CFWIJ t.co/5VMnWJuJuO
Image in @citizenlab's post: The Citizen Lab's @nouraaljizawi will be speaking about the growing trend of digital transnational …
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · quote ↗ 🔏
Tomorrow (10/19) the Citizen Lab's director & founder @RonDeibert will be wrapping up the @TheKnowltonLA 2024 Literary Festival. He will discuss his 2020 book "Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society" and tease details of his upcoming title "Chasing Shadows". Learn more 👇
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
In a piece for @Kennedy_School’s @MisinfoReview, The Citizen Lab’s @gabriellelim and her co-authors unpack the complex challenges facing the field of misinformation. The authors say they “see this as an inflection point and an opportunity to chart a more informed and contextual research practice.” Read it here t.co/2kmesuMsLC
Image in @citizenlab's post: In a piece for @Kennedy_School’s @MisinfoReview, The Citizen Lab’s @gabriellelim and her co-authors…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · quote ↗ 🔏
Today at @knightcolumbia’s “Regardless of Frontiers” event: @RonDeibert is presenting a paper (co-authored with @sienaanstis) about the growing phenomenon of digital transnational repression. Watch online: t.co/FGmE7PxZAP
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
💬NEW REPORT: The Citizen Lab takes a deep dive into the network encryption protocol used by #WeChat, an app with over one billion users. The app uses a custom #encryption protocol called “MMTLS” that introduces cryptographic weaknesses. Read the report: t.co/9EmcuMXqnC
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
“The Canadian government is asleep at the wheel when it comes to export controls of this type of dual-use technology,” the Citizen Lab’s @RonDeibert said in a follow-up interview with @CTVKitchener about Sandvine. Watch here: t.co/ewzRexvy6Y
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · quote ↗ 🔏
UPDATE: @Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit takes legal action to dismantle Russia-based threat actor COLDRIVER following our joint investigation with @accessnow. Read more: t.co/HV8oplHyEF
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
🆕 NEW ARTICLE The Citizen Lab’s @sienaanstis and former legal intern Émilie LaFlèche identify that the key to understanding digital transnational repression lies at its intersection with gender. In their article published in Globalizations, they call upon the research community to dive deeper into the gender dimensions of transnational repression. Full article: Gender-based digital transnational repression as a global authoritarian practice t.co/hpvOUcH7yP
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · quote ↗ 🔏
TONIGHT at 8 pm EDT on @cbcideas: The Citizen Lab's Lex Gill (@lex_is) considers what law can and can't do to create a better world and how social and cultural movements can influence the evolution of law.
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
CALL FOR PAPERS: Free and Open Communications on the Internet (FOCI) 2025 is looking for two, four, and eight-page submissions on topics broadly relating to Internet freedom. Deadline for Issue 1 (virtual event) is November 8. Learn more: t.co/ZQuig3C6My t.co/Ce3cFSzRlx
Image in @citizenlab's post: CALL FOR PAPERS: Free and Open Communications on the Internet (FOCI) 2025 is looking for two, four,…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
#Apple seeks to dismiss its lawsuit against the surveillance firm #NSOGroup, citing concerns that legal proceedings could risk exposing its security practices to combat commercial surveillance tools. The Citizen Lab’s @RonDeibert shared his thoughts with @washingtonpost, “NSO Group is on the ropes, no longer the only firm in town, and nowhere near as formidable as they once were.” Read the article here: t.co/RZok1HoEMj
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Cyberattacks against transnational activists in the US are rampant and women are disproportionately affected. In a new paper for @CLTCBerkeley, the Citizen Lab’s @nouraaljizawi, @gozdebocu, and Nicola Lawford, unpack the cybersecurity landscape, its vulnerabilities, and call on US govt agencies and big tech to do more to prevent, mitigate, and protect high-risk users. Read it here: t.co/WqsV4nUD1A
Image in @citizenlab's post: Cyberattacks against transnational activists in the US are rampant and women are disproportionately…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Despite being blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, there are no export controls in place for Waterloo-based tech firm #Sandvine. The Citizen Lab’s director @RonDeibert breaks down the lack of regulations and its implications in his latest interview with @CTVKitchener. Watch here: t.co/8NWr0RhIu2
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Join us on Sunday, September 15 at 10:30am EDT for a thought-provoking discussion with lawyer and Citizen Lab fellow Lex Gill (@lex_is) in conversation with @cbcideas’ @NahlahAyed at @crowstheatre. Lex will explore themes of injustice, defiance, and what it takes to build a better world. Get your free tickets here: t.co/FY38WiXTrY #CBCIdeas
Image in @citizenlab's post: Join us on Sunday, September 15 at 10:30am EDT for a thought-provoking discussion with lawyer and C…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Join us on Sunday, September 15 at 10:30am EDT for a thought-provoking discussion with lawyer and Citizen Lab fellow Lex Gill (@lex_is) in conversation with @cbcideas’ @NahlahAyed at @crowstheatre. Lex will explore themes of injustice, defiance, and what it takes to build a better world. Get your free tickets here: t.co/FY38WiXTrY #CBCIdeas
Image in @citizenlab's post: Join us on Sunday, September 15 at 10:30am EDT for a thought-provoking discussion with lawyer and C…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Reminder: Join the Citizen Lab & @CLTCBerkeley for a panel on the #cybersecurity threats faced by transnational advocacy groups in the US that are targeted by state and state-related actors. Moderated by @RonDeibert, this discussion will feature Citizen Lab researchers @nouraaljizawi, @gozdebocu, & Nicola Lawford sharing key findings on the cybersecurity threat landscape, resilience, and areas for action and improvement to enhance the cybersecurity of transnational activists in the U.S. Register here: t.co/JKGZ11nUVg
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Reminder: Join the Citizen Lab & @CLTCBerkeley for a panel on the #cybersecurity threats faced by transnational advocacy groups in the US that are targeted by state and state-related actors. Moderated by @RonDeibert, this discussion will feature Citizen Lab researchers @nouraaljizawi, @gozdebocu, & Nicola Lawford sharing key findings on the cybersecurity threat landscape, resilience, and areas for action and improvement to enhance the cybersecurity of transnational activists in the U.S. Register here: t.co/JKGZ11nUVg
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Join us on Sunday, September 15 at 10:30am EDT for a thought-provoking discussion with lawyer and Citizen Lab fellow Lex Gill (@lex_is) in conversation with @cbcideas’ @NahlahAyed at @crowstheatre. Lex will explore themes of injustice, defiance, and what it takes to build a better world. Get your free tickets here: t.co/FY38WiXTrY #CBCIdeas
Image in @citizenlab's post: Join us on Sunday, September 15 at 10:30am EDT for a thought-provoking discussion with lawyer and C…
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
What can be done to protect refugees’ privacy rights and enhance their digital security? In an important piece published by the @TimepDC, @nouraaljizawi, senior researcher @citizenlab, discusses the massive data breach that compromised the personal information of 3 million Syrian refugees, including minors, residing in Türkiye, highlighting chilling security risks. Read it here: t.co/1sLHRf3PhI #datasecurity #transnationalrepression #Syrian #refugees
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Social media platforms are a channel to exercise free speech, but what happens when speaking out online turns you into a target? The Citizen Lab’s @nouraaljizawi discusses the significance and the future of the rights to freedom of thought and expression with @NahlahAyed on @cbcideas. You can listen to the full episode here 👉🏽 Brave New Worlds: The Rights to Free Thought and Free Expression, Part Four t.co/k6qx5Wl5Ng #freedomofexpression
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Join the Citizen Lab & @CLTCBerkeley for a panel on the #cybersecurity threats faced by transnational advocacy groups in the US that are targeted by state and state-related actors. Moderated by @RonDeibert, this discussion will feature Citizen Lab researchers @nouraaljizawi, @gozdebocu, & Nicola Lawford sharing key findings on the cybersecurity threat landscape, resilience, and areas for action and improvement to enhance the cybersecurity of transnational activists in the U.S. Register here: t.co/ax6IE7OlZR
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
In the modern digital age, everything we do leaves a virtual footprint. The Citizen Lab's @RonDeibert and @lex_is discuss the right to privacy and its far-reaching consequences on our lives in the 21st century. 📻 Ideas with @NahlahAyed: Brave New Worlds: The Right to Privacy, Part Two t.co/oC5rDKmdkQ
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
TUNE IN to @cbcideas with @NahlahAyed tonight at 8 PM EDT to hear @citizenlab's @RonDeibert and @lex_is discuss the right to privacy and its profound implications on our lives in the 21st century, from digital surveillance to issues of sexuality and personal autonomy. 📻 Listen: t.co/bQdD4Ggtxf #humanrights #surveillance
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Next week at the @APSAtweets 2024 APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition, @citizenlab research associate @emiledirks will present a paper co-authored with @UofT associate professor @dianafutweets at a panel on transnational repression tactics of illiberal governance in the 21st century. Learn more: t.co/RfVkPXjdl7 Details on the panel here: t.co/6uG9xbHWXs #transnationalrepression #APSA2024 #uoft
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
Join the Citizen Lab & @CLTCBerkeley for a panel on the #cybersecurity threats faced by transnational advocacy groups in the US that are targeted by state and state-related actors. Moderated by @RonDeibert, this discussion will feature Citizen Lab researchers @nouraaljizawi, @gozdebocu, & Nicola Lawford sharing key findings on the cybersecurity threat landscape, resilience, and areas for action and improvement to enhance the cybersecurity of transnational activists in the U.S. Register here: t.co/ax6IE7OlZR
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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab · ↗ 🔏
How will the UN’s proposed cybercrime treaty impact global cybersecurity efforts? The @citizenlab’s senior researcher @KateRobertson_ breaks it down in her article for @lawfare. #cybercrime #UNGA Read it here 👇 t.co/Muj1rFWrzb
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