Big Tech firms have been complaining about the “patchwork” of state laws ever since Californians adopted their landmark privacy law in 2020, Alan Butler writes. Trump's AI executive order is thus an escalation of a fight that has been brewing for years.

Khashoggi widow files complaint in France alleging Saudi government infected devices with spyware therecord.media/khashoggi-wi...

Explainer: What is India's politically contentious Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app? reut.rs/48uT32f

Authorities have launched a transnational crackdown on scam compounds in Southeast Asia, but it's leaving survivors with incomplete support, writes Laura Scherling.

Incredible- Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, documents seen by Reuters show. And the social media giant internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day."

#TransnationalRepression is reshaping how authoritarian regimes project power & target critics abroad. @marcuskolga.bsky.social @imleeszefung.bsky.social @kentonthibaut.bsky.social @nosumacero.bsky.social & @lisandranovo.bsky.social introduce a framework to counter these operations: bit.ly/3Xgfz9I

Official list of all signatures to the UN #Cybercrime Convention ( #UNCC ) is now available. 72 total signatures (70 UN Member States plus the EU and the State of Palestine). treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDe...

The Atlantic Council launched the "Authoritarian reach and democratic response: A tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression." @marcuskolga.bsky.social @imleeszefung.bsky.social @kentonthibaut.bsky.social @lisandranovo.bsky.social www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

Congratulations to the entire team at @dfrlab.bsky.social for the release of "Authoritarian reach and democratic response: A tactical framework to counter and prevent transnational repression (TNR)."

"72 states signed the new UN Cybercrime Convention in Hanoi. The Chair of the Alliance, called it a landmark of multilateral cooperation in the current climate—stressing that effective implementation will need global, multi-stakeholder action to uphold rights & tackle cybercrime

Glad to see the opening ceremony of the UN Cybercrime Convention was indeed streamed live via UN Web TV. Watch here for statements from UN officials and government representatives signing on to the Convention. x.com/unodc/status...

UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) comment on the signing ceremony of the UN #Cybercrime Convention: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Civil society organizations continue to raise the alarm about the risks posed to human rights and cybersecurity by the UN Cybercrime Convention (#UNCC). However, many states have already signed at the ceremony in Hanoi - for example the EU as an org. Next step for signatories must be mitigation.

The UN Convention against Cybercrime (#UNCC) opens for signature this weekend in Hanoi. Despite heavy criticism from civil society and the private sector, it is expected that many states will sign on - even those that initially opposed the instrument like the EU and its member states.

ICYMI (story broke late Friday evening): A judge has ordered NSO Group to stop targeting WhatsApp users. At the same time the judge reduced the damages the spyware maker had to pay to WhatsApp from $167 million to $4M, becasue there was no evidence NSO’s behavior was “particularly egregious."

The latest on the chat control saga in the EU from Suzanne Smalley of @therecordmedia.bsky.social therecord.media/chat-control...

This brings our series on spyware accountability to a close. Huge thanks to all the authors who contributed!

The most recent edition of the SLP Newsletter is available now! Read online and subscribe for quarterly updates on our work advancing accountability for atrocity crimes and human rights violations around the world. ⚖️ www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-seri...

Homeland Security Investigations, the law enforcement arm of ICE, adds phone unlocking tech made by Magnet Forensics to its arsenal of technology used to power the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown.

Breaking! The SLP’s newest report is NOW available online – exploring how one theory of civil liability can be used to pursue accountability for past and ongoing abuses. Full report available below ⬇️ www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...

Here is the public procurement record showing that ICE is to regain access to its $2 million purchase of Paragon spyware. Paragon sells powerful mobile phone spyware to governments. Biden admin stopped ICE at time; now lifted (jackpoulson.substack.com/p/exclusive-...)

HRC's @lindsaysfreeman.bsky.social joined @nadinefj.bsky.social, @natynettle.bsky.social, and @lisandranovo.bsky.social for @slpjustice.bsky.social and @cyberstatecraft.bsky.social's panel event “Accountability Now: Liability for Spyware Harms.” Watch the full event here: ➡️ bit.ly/45OEIfI

If you missed our event live with @cyberstatecraft.bsky.social on liability for spyware harms, featuring a fantastic panel with @nadinefj.bsky.social, @lindsaysfreeman.bsky.social, and @natynettle.bsky.social - you can catch the recording here! www.youtube.com/live/Hy_IXSQ...

Join us tomorrow! 10:00 ET / 16:00 CEST.

Commercial #spyware poses significant harms to privacy and civil liberties. In our new series with the Atlantic Council, “Legal Frameworks for Addressing Spyware Harms,” Nadine Farid Johnson lays out a policy roadmap for redress in U.S. courts. www.justsecurity.org/118704/polic...

📅 AUGUST 26, 2025 ⏰ 10:00 AM ET Join us for an event with @cyberstatecraft.bsky.social, “Accountability Now: Liability for Spyware Harms.” Featuring @nadinefj.bsky.social, @lindsaysfreeman.bsky.social, and @natynettle.bsky.social, moderated by SLP’s @lisandranovo.bsky.social. buff.ly/1jkeT82

⚖️ 🔍 My new op-ed for @justsecurity.org + @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social about the opportunities & dangers of discovery in U.S. spyware litigation

US spyware litigation can uncover vital evidence but also expose victims and researchers to serious risks through discovery. In Just Security’s new series with the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social, @natynettle.bsky.social examines how to manage these risks while pursuing accountability.

Despite significant steps to address spyware harms, critical gaps remain. Civil litigation offers a path for accountability now, writes @lisandranovo.bsky.social . The first in our series with @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social, “Legal Frameworks for Addressing Spyware Harms.”

"This is really the first time, that I’m aware of, where a U.S. court has found that it has jurisdiction over a spyware victim when the spying was done at the behest of a foreign government," EFF’s @davidgreene.bsky.social told @courthousenews.bsky.social.

Senator Ron Wyden on Monday asked Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to assess the U.K.'s surveillance laws that have come under fire in recent months therecord.media/wyden-asks-w...

Another seeming casualty of the US foreign aid freeze is the fight against human trafficking and forced labor in Southeast Asia, writes Dr. Laura Scherling. This includes the battle against scam compounds, hubs for organized crime, and forced labor.

New out from @freedomhouse.bsky.social: TNR Watch: Iranian Journalists in the Crosshairs freedomhouse.org/article/tnr-...

The Strategic Litigation Project is honored to welcome Ambassador Beth Van Schaack, who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice from March 2022 to January 2025, as a Distinguished Fellow. Read her bio below ⬇️

Trump administration to spend $1 billion on ‘offensive’ hacking operations

“We’re pleased with today’s decision and look forward to seeking justice on behalf of El Faro journalists in U.S. court, where the case belongs,” says @carriedecell.bsky.social. Learn more & see statement from @elfaroenglish.bsky.social's @carlosdada.bsky.social: knightcolumbia.org/content/appe...

The full recording of our panel on legal responses to ransomware and cybercrime from #CyCon2025 is now available. You can now watch the full discussion we had (myself, Stefano Mele, and Tsvetelina van Benthem had under the expert moderation of René Värk). youtu.be/vXhCdisFm9Y?...

Hard to keep track of everything going on with this bill, but removing the state-level moratorium on AI regulation is a big one. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Happening TODAY 10:00 EDT / 16:00 CEST. Tune in for what is sure to be an illuminating panel, moderated by SLP's own @celestekmiotek.bsky.social.

🗓️ Tune in on June 25 at 10:00 AM ET for: “New findings: Russian aerial attacks amount to extermination and persecution" Experts map out new findings surrounding Russian aerial attacks against Ukraine—and discuss the policy implications. 🔗 Register now: buff.ly/CtwQB2U

The #FFMI has collected over 38,000 pieces of evidence to investigate human rights violations in #Iran and support accountability efforts. In March, it concluded that the Iranian government committed crimes against humanity during the 2022 protests. www.justsecurity.org/113838/roadm...

Check out my new @justsecurity.org piece, w my brilliant collaborator/friends Nushin Sarkarati (@slpjustice.bsky.social) + Kelly Liu. We describe creating the #Iran Digital Archive Coalition + why it is important to collect #digitalevidence for #accountability www.justsecurity.org/114163/coali...

NEW: The internet has collapsed in Iran on Wednesday, with one web monitoring firm saying the country is “now in the midst of a near-total national internet blackout.” “We can only see that the traffic dropped — the data doesn’t tell us why it dropped,” said CloudFlare's David Belson.

First in a series delving into how preserving open source evidence documenting atrocities can be an essential tool for justice.

Are you a legal advisor to your government, civil society, or industry representative at #CyCon2025? Concerned about the UN Cybercrime Convention? Come find me there! Will be speaking on a fantastic panel and sharing some research on risks posed by the Convention as well as mitigation strategies.

NSO to pay almost 168 million in damages! Congrats to WhatsApp on this historic (yes, historic) jury verdict against NSO Group! This is also a win for all the researchers, advocates & victims who have been tirelessly exposing NSO's abuses & advocating for justice! www.accessnow.org/press-releas...

Cybercrime is a transnational problem and, in addition to new technical solutions, needs better cooperation at the local, national, and international levels.

These are often the same groups who have perfected these very tactics going after dissidents and critics abroad. Ignoring human rights violations and attacks against civil society only allows these groups to get better and later go after government targets. www.politico.eu/article/euro...

📺 Watch live now: Dada, et al. v. NSO Group Technologies Limited, et al. - Appeals from the district court's dismissal of an action based on forum non conveniens. www.youtube.com/live/7A2fQJq...

Today, the #UNHumanRightsCouncil voted to extend the mandate of the #IranFFMI to investigate crimes committed by the Islamic Republic. The #IranDigitalArchiveCoalition is dedicated to preserving digital evidence of these atrocities to ensure that they are recognized and addressed. buff.ly/88wzgn8