The Citizen Lab

Thanks @thewalrus for the shout out 🙏 "Canada has never entirely overcome that challenge. It has developed a few localized hubs where world-leading innovation happens—the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, for example." @UofT @munkschool t.co/hhxlfesPVL

New peer-reviewed article by the Citizen Lab’s @mmichae1sen & @sienaanstis discusses the gendered forms of digital threats faced by women human rights defenders and journalists in exile and in the diaspora. Read it here ⬇️ t.co/SdxJQgIyUW

📢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. The deadline for Issue 2 (in-person event) is April 21. Learn more: t.co/ZQuig3C6My

Come work with us! We are looking for an IT professional to join our team in the role of Systems and Security Administrator. Interested? Learn more and apply by April 18 ➡️ t.co/fRM2H3dcZ1 @UofTArtSci @munkschool @uoft t.co/1pNCUxMn9j

Our senior researcher @KateRobertson_ spoke with @BNNBloomberg last week about the possible connection between Paragon Solutions spyware and Canada's second largest police service, the #OPP. Watch it here: t.co/ms6c42mXsC

Join us on Monday (03/24) to gain insights into how gender and technology intersect to suppress human rights globally. 📆March 24 🕠10 am ET / 3 pm CET 🖥️Online Learn more and register here: t.co/t9sq9jBmL7 @munkschool @HNeumannMEP t.co/4D1vCLJVH5

🆕 REPORT: Our first investigation into Israel-based spyware company Paragon Solutions reveals multiple threads linked to the proliferation of its mercenary spyware operations across the globe. t.co/iErpekjGJT

Join our senior researchers @nouraaljizawi, @sienaanstis, and @mmichae1sen on Mar 24 for a virtual presentation and Q&A about tackling gender-based digital transnational repression. Register here: t.co/t9sq9jBmL7

Don’t miss @RonDeibert’s upcoming book talks in #Vancouver, #Calgary and #Ottawa to celebrate the release of his new title, "Chasing Shadows", published by @SimonSchusterCA. More details here: t.co/xg1GKX4T9k t.co/eMURhZnuJW

Hey #SanFrancisco - catch @RonDeibert’s book talk on March 10 at @CityLightsBooks. He will be joined by @EFF’s Cindy Cohn and Eva Galperin to celebrate the release of his new book Chasing Shadows. Get tickets: t.co/3QJzLRQrKC t.co/K8nRh0J2KY

NEW BOOK: 'Transnational Repression and International Law' co-authored by The Citizen Lab's @SienaAnstis is out now. It explores the issue of state-sponsored extraterritorial killings and the international legal frameworks to counter them. ⚖️ Order here: t.co/63l8Tu8v4t t.co/xS6fla9Xtp

In this essay for @knightcolumbia, The Citizen Lab’s @sienaanstis and @RonDeibert discuss how states use digital surveillance technologies to target journalists, human rights defenders, and activists in exile. Read it here 👇t.co/IaLEy6sZIZ t.co/nx2UKyBXJx

Paragon in Italy 🇮🇹: A New European Spyware Scandal Tune in for this event on Mar 13 featuring Citizen Lab senior researcher @jsrailton. Register: t.co/z1DfYQxgl3

⚠️ New legal analysis by The Citizen Lab’s @Cyn_K and @KateRobertson_ warns of the constitutional dangers posed by a potential Canada-U.S. CLOUD Act agreement. If signed, this would extend the reach of U.S. law enforcement into Canada’s digital terrain to an unprecedented extent. Read it here 👇 t.co/2q3VWRFdzE

Even after Assad’s fall, #disinformation in #Syria is thriving. In an opinion piece in @TimepDC, The Citizen Lab’s @nouraaljizawi discusses how new trends and tactics have emerged, and how foreign powers and non-state actors exploit social media to manipulate narratives and spread fear. Read more here: t.co/ueDaFTOO23

In an opinion piece for the @globeandmail, The Citizen Lab’s @emiledirks, @sienaanstis, @nouraaljizawi, and @ronDeibert underscore how the #HogueCommission’s report missed an opportunity to address transnational repression. Read it here 👇🏽 t.co/whTJz3wa6H

In a Q&A for the Digital Front Lines report by Foreign Policy Analytics (@ForeignPolicy), human rights activist @ckanimba and @RonDeibert discuss the human cost of spyware and call for stronger collaboration to combat its abuse. t.co/KrJmw2XbTW

Last week, @CityNewsTO' @Faiza_AminTV sat down with @RonDeibert to discuss his new book Chasing Shadows and the dangerous rise of unregulated mercenary surveillance. Watch it here: t.co/K8L2aOu2C7

Our first network security analysis of the popular social media app, #RedNote, has revealed some major red flags 🚩🚩🚩. The app is used by over 300 million users worldwide - but its network encryption falls short. Read the report: t.co/y8FLnwdInr

Imagine having your home address splattered all over the internet. Meryem, an activist living in the US, knows exactly what that’s like. She faces relentless online harassment from Chinese state-backed trolls as she fights for #Uyghur rights. Her fight is made even harder because she is a woman. Learn about the price she’s paid: t.co/ZPnuvFaw4Y #digitaltransnationalrepression

Dounia is an exiled journalist living in France. After exposing Morocco's use of #spyware against politicians, she became the target of physical and sexual harassment, spread across both traditional media and social platforms. Even while in #China, #Morocco continued to harass her, forcing her to flee to #France, where the online attacks continued. Read her story of resilience: t.co/oLmuorRoYI #digitaltransnationalrepression

After Fatima fled to the UK, the Syrian state-sponsored attacks continued. Both the regime and anti-regime groups continue to target her, both online and offline, making her journalism a high-risk endeavour. With her family used as leverage, she has been pressured to self-censor. Learn how these attacks impact her life and work: t.co/AH3cd5UAOy #digitaltransnationalrepression

After Fatima fled to the UK, the Syrian state-sponsored attacks continued. Both the regime and anti-regime groups continue to target her, both online and offline, making her journalism a high-risk endeavour. With her family used as leverage, she has been pressured to self-censor. Learn how these attacks impact her life and work: t.co/BfvtaGDnde #digitaltransnationalrepression

President Trump delayed the U.S. #TikTok ban, but is his executive order legally sound? The Citizen Lab’s @jon_penney writes for the @globeandmail, questioning whether the move addresses privacy and national security issues or is purely about political power. t.co/ut4Wxhrgsd

Meron, a Swedish-Eritrean activist, is relentlessly attacked online; accused of drug addiction and losing her children, even though she lives with them. The harassment doesn’t stop there; it spills into physical assaults. Read how the Eritrean government is trying to force her into silence. 🤐 t.co/VlmUZLeP41 #digitaltransnationalrepression

After playing a key role in the #Yemenuprising, Arwa sought refuge in the EU. But digital threats know no borders. From leaked personal photos to family shaming, Arwa’s experienced a flurry of online attacks since fleeing home. Read Arwa’s story to learn how she continues to fight for human rights through a new medium, art 🎨 t.co/O9iGsSFFNt #digitaltransnationalrepression

Fighting for the truth usually comes at a high cost. For women human rights defenders, it puts a target on their backs as well as their families’. Forced to flee their home countries, the harassment stops at no borders. From online to offline, they face intense repression, yet remain resilient. Read their courageous stories here: t.co/WSylIe7NMf #digitaltransnationalrepression

📢 Work with us! The Citizen Lab is looking for a Systems & Security Technical Lead. This is a unique opportunity to shape the strategic and tactical approach to risk management, systems security & compliance at The Citizen Lab. Apply by February 20 t.co/cYp2nCdjvl

Spyware attacks, censorship, social media hacking, DDoS attacks, surveillance, and smear campaigns are just some of the tactics used by the #Azerbaijani government to silence women activists. The regime is also notorious for exploiting intimate photos and videos to intimidate and publicly shame women dissidents and critics. Learn more about this growing threat: t.co/bJ6mAqOf2U

#Iran is a pertinent perpetrator of transnational repression, using a range of digital methods to silence dissent across borders. Phishing campaigns are used to steal personal information of targets, while state-run media spreads defamatory content aimed at discrediting women and their activism. This digital targeting escalates the risk to both their personal safety and their family’s. Read more about it here: t.co/oigIYj1ySk