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

Today, the UN Human Rights Council 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 accountability: humanrights.berkeley.edu/press-releas...

The #UNHRC has just adopted the resolution renewing and expanding the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of #Iran (FFMI).

1/ 🌐 The Road to Hanoi: Opening for Signature of the UN Convention against Cybercrime 🌐 Today, the UNODC and the Government of Viet Nam held an event on the upcoming signing ceremony of the UN Convention against #Cybercrime in Hanoi. Some key takeaways ⬇️

ICYMI--Recording of our @citizenlab.ca webinar on gender-based transnational repression, with comments and insights from @hneumannmep.bsky.social @sanstis.bsky.social @noura.bsky.social @arzugeybulla.bsky.social @emiledirks.bsky.social & Maryam Mirza www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxP8...

The word #spyware is found zero times in the International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor's new Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes under the Rome Statute. But already there is a report of spyware targeting an individual sharing evidence with the court www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

“Given the impunity that prevails inside Iran, we believe that accountability must also be pursued internationally, in line with the rights and expectations of victims and survivors”. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI) webtv.un.org/en/asset/k15...

WhatsApp’s (Meta) damages request against NSO Group is in: WhatsApp is asking for USD 444,719 in compensatory damages. www.courtlistener.com/docket/16395...

The International Criminal Court’s Office of the Prosecutor has released its long-awaited draft policy on cyber-enabled crimes under the Rome Statute and is inviting public comments by 30 May 2025. www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-off...

What do 1.9 terabytes of leaked documents, records of money flows, and audio recordings from inside scam call centers reveal? The merciless world of professional scammers, who steal their victims’ life savings — and then come back for more. Inside #ScamEmpire👇 www.occrp.org/en/project/s...

Excited to join CEPS Ideas Lab with Iran Digital Archive Coalition colleagues. If you’re in Brussels next week and interested in the Strategic Litigation Project’s work on spyware accountability, transnational repression, cybercrime, Syria, Iran, gender apartheid and more,reach out! ideaslab.ceps.eu

Last week, the US Senate unanimously passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act. The legislation has broad support, but Kaylee Williams writes that some advocacy groups say certain provisions could risk undermining fundamental rights.

On February 13, the US Senate unanimously passed the TAKE IT DOWN Act. The support for the legislation is driven by the growing scale of the problem, write Encode's Sunny Gandhi and Adam Billen.

The Apple-UK saga continues. Threatening encryption for everyone does not further law enforcement interests. As more countries seek to cooperate on tackling cybercrime, such demands for this kind of access are bound to increase - to our collective detriment. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I have together with Alexandra Lily Kather contributed to @opiniojuris.bsky.social with the post “Justice for the Yazidis in the Ishaq Case by the Stockholm District Court”. Part I highlights how the court deals with physical, cultural and social genocide. opiniojuris.org/2025/02/19/j...

As the UN OEWG convenes in NYC today, Pavlina Pavlova provides a roadmap for strengthening cyber norms. She argues a gender-sensitive approach to cybersecurity strengthens national security: www.justsecurity.org/107353/gende...

"The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies."

EXCLUSIVE: Spyware firm behind new surveillance of journalists, civil society operates from the EU