The Citizen Lab

Citizen Lab founder & director @RonDeibert receives the Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy from @SFU

NEW REPORT: We uncovered a coordinated network of fake X profiles that has been spreading AI-generated content to induce revolt in #Iran. We call this network “PRISONBREAK”. Read the report ➡️ t.co/UfvKBA1cXS

JOB ALERT: Information Security Program Manager Apply by Sept 30 👇 t.co/tU3DhM0qDZ t.co/SpszWA16Kk

OPINION: "Canada's new Minister of AI must not be naive to its harms" @RonDeibert's latest oped in @globeandmail Read it here: t.co/MM04kIYVof

Excellent insights from @RonanFarrow on #ICE's reactivation of contract with Israeli #spyware firm Paragon.

Citizen Lab's @jsrailton talks with @drewharwell @washingtonpost about the unavoidable downsides of the UK's age-verification law.

Join the Citizen Lab’s @KateRobertson_ on Aug 27 at a webinar co-hosted by @ICLMG on Canada’s Bill C-2. She will be joined by privacy & migrant rights experts to discuss what’s at stake with 🇨🇦's “Strong Borders” Act. Register: t.co/DBNhN0FNKX

Writing for @policyoptions, the Citizen Lab’s @KateRobertson_ and Song-Ly Tran discuss how Canada’s outdated wiretap laws fail to protect Canadians from spyware abuse. Read it here: t.co/FMPBwU1WVR

This new article by the Citizen Lab's Gabby Lim (et al) in @techpolicypress examines the growth of economic power in the hands of private firms “incentivized to serve the surveillance state and further a new kind of space military-industrial complex.” Read it here: t.co/DXKszbu85f

New op-ed by @RonDeibert discusses the G7 Leaders’ Statement on countering transnational repression that was put forward last month. Read it in the @globeandmail t.co/U7QoFMR7Ya

Why are governments around the world tightening laws on #misinformation? The Citizen Lab’s Gabrielle Lim & co-authors examine the global surge of misinformation legislation in their new article published by @IJoC_USC. Read it here: t.co/C9wsHIHtZv t.co/ijR3d7e8pF

NEW REPORT: Russia's state-backed hackers have a new trick. In collab w/ @Google Threat Intelligence Group, we investigated an attack against prominent Russian expert @KeirGiles & uncovered an elaborate attack targeting App-Specific Passwords (ASPs). t.co/7AM0CuIJMS

🇨🇦A new federal border security bill is being proposed in #Canada that would open the door to expanded data-sharing agreements with the U.S. and other foreign countries. Read our analysis of Bill C-2 here: t.co/rX5RdsOAEn

NEW REPORT: Our forensic analysis confirms ✅ two more European journalists targeted with Paragon's Graphite spyware. Read it here: t.co/t6CBY6yXYV

Circumventing internet censorship in Indonesia is growing more challenging. The Citizen Lab’s @irenepoet examines Indonesia’s use of DNS redirection to censor online content and discusses its impact on free expression in her new essay published by @CarnegieEndow. Read it here: t.co/CFKzNDpJ0V

What exactly sets foreign interference apart from influence? On June 9, join the Citizen Lab’s @emiledirks for an online session that will explore the evolving landscape of China’s transnational influence and repression efforts. Hosted by @CanChnForum Register here: t.co/daq2y4YrH4

Our senior researcher @jsrailton appeared before the @EUparliament's LIBE committee on 05/13 to share the latest research on the proliferation of spyware in Europe. t.co/CVBhkb4wPF

Join us on MAY 21 for a hybrid workshop to explore digital sovereignty, the methodologies for its study, and the global trend around sovereignty in the digital world. Featuring presentations by the Citizen Lab’s Ksenia Ermoshina, Jeffrey Knockel, Bill Marczak, and Irene Poetranto, followed by a moderated discussion + hands-on sessions. Learn more & register: t.co/dJzpgo7B04

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