The Citizen Lab

How secure are the apps on your Android phone? Researchers at the Citizen Lab and Princeton evaluated the network security of Android apps & found that a large portion of popular Chinese apps use broken proprietary network protocols instead of TLS. Read the paper here: t.co/AvIRAddrWO

Come work with us! We are looking for a creative and self-motivated communications professional to join our team this summer in the role of Digital Communications Specialist. This is a FT hybrid position based at @UofT. Apply by May 12, 2025 Learn more: t.co/ica0mBxzG5 t.co/EMpRJExWis

Worried about travelling to the 🇺🇸? Hear what Citizen Lab director @RonDeibert has to say about safeguarding your data when crossing the border. Listen to his interview with @mattgallowaycbc on CBC's the Current: t.co/6ds79Es5oc

How should we think about AI and the law? On May 2 at the TorontoHRA Conference hosted by @LancasterCanada, the Citizen Lab’s @cyn_k will discuss this and more in her keynote speech about how AI relates to power in our society. Learn more: t.co/MyHs1Pu2p3

NEW REPORT: Our investigation of a spearphishing campaign targeting members of @UyghurCongress reveals a highly-customized attack. Its aim: to deliver Windows-based malware capable of conducting remote surveillance against its targets. Read it here: t.co/QNYXSCTbcY t.co/lZSiwtPZbg

Much of the debate around #SignalGate has downplayed an even larger problem, ✍️ @RonDeibert in his latest for @ForeignAffairs. Read his article: t.co/fFJT00keKa

Listen to @RonDeibert's recent interview on @cbcideas with host @NahlahAyed, where he talks about his new book, Chasing Shadows (t.co/6Ba14hXfB4). The show was recorded at an event at the @torontolibrary in front of a live audience 👇 t.co/CBdQygfXnf t.co/CCClHp2pdv

NEW REPORT: We examine a coordinated social media harassment and doxxing campaign - codenamed “JUICYJAM” - that has been targeting the Thai pro-democracy movement (#ม็อบ) since at least 2020. Read it here: t.co/b2Gu3IzvAU

“Trumpian autocratic legalism means that Canada has not only lost an ally in the fight against foreign interference; it has also gained a new adversary in terms of foreign interference: the United States.” ✍️ Citizen Lab’s @emiledirks and @dianafutweets (@MunkSchool) for the @AsiaPacificFdn Read it here: t.co/RnWhBw6k83

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