JOB ALERT: We are recruiting for the newly created role of Information Security Program Manager. Apply by Sept 30. citizenlab.ca/2025/09/job-...

NEW: Spyware installed on Kenyan filmmakers' phones in police custody @citizenlab.ca confirms cpj.org?p=516177

"Canada's new Minister of AI must not be naive to its harms" @rondeibert.bsky.social's latest oped in @theglobeandmail.com

Thanks @ronanfarrow.bsky.social for your excellent insights on this topic 👇

NEW: Mercenary spyware is coming to the US. ICE just quietly unsuspended their contract with spyware maker #Paragon. Remember them? Caught earlier this year being used to hack Italian journalists. This is bad, let's talk about how we got here 1/ jackpoulson.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

Join the Citizen Lab’s Kate Robertson on Aug 27 at a webinar co-hosted by @iclmg-csilc.bsky.social 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: iclmg.ca/webinar-stop...

Citizen Lab director warns cyber industry about US authoritarian descent

"The impacts of transnational repression (TNR) are far-reaching, with detrimental effects on individuals' social, psychological, and physical well-being." @noura.bsky.social, @sanstis.bsky.social, and Gözde Böcü examine the impacts of TNR in their new article: muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...

Writing for @policyoptions.irpp.org, the Citizen Lab’s Kate Robertson and Song-Ly Tran discuss how 🇨🇦 Canada’s outdated wiretap laws fail to protect Canadians from spyware abuse. Read it here: policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ju...

I am honoured and excited to be delivering a keynote @blackhatevents.bsky.social 🇺🇸 2025 Come hear about the history of @citizenlab.ca, our investigations into mercenary spyware and other abuses, and what keeps me up at night! www.blackhat.com/us-25/briefi...

🛰️ New article co-authored by the Citizen Lab's @gabriellelim.bsky.social discusses the risks of privatized space technology. Published in @techpolicypress.bsky.social Read it here: www.techpolicy.press/a-match-made...

New op-ed by our director @rondeibert.bsky.social takes a look at the G7 Leaders' Statement on transnational repression. Published today in @theglobeandmail.com

Why are governments around the world tightening laws on misinformation? The Citizen Lab’s @gabriellelim.bsky.social examines the global surge of misinformation legislation in this new article👇

Keir Giles has been targeted *again* by allegedly Russian hackers — this time using a clever new trick intended to bypass 2-factor authentication. Over the years I’ve written about Giles an unusual amount, and I have an idea about why. First, the coverage: www.reuters.com/technology/s...

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.bsky.social & uncovered an elaborate attack targeting App-Specific Passwords (ASPs). citizenlab.ca/2025/06/russ...

I was encouraged to see the #G7 Leaders' Statement on Transnational Repression which also calls out mitigating harms around mercenary spyware 👇🇨🇦 www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...

And @raphae.li @reuters.com www.reuters.com/business/med...

There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about Canada's 🇨🇦 new proposed border security legislation Fortunately we have @kate-ro.bsky.social @citizenlab.ca to untangle them for us. Details below 👇

🇨🇦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: citizenlab.ca/2025/06/a-pr...

NEW: Researchers found forensic evidence of Paragon's spyware on the iPhones of two journalists. One is Ciro Pellegrino, who works for @fanpage.it. The other is an unnamed prominent European journalist. Looks like the spyware scandal that for now has focused on Italy may expand further in Europe.

NEW REPORT: Our forensic analysis confirms ✅ two more European journalists targeted with Paragon's Graphite spyware. Read it here: citizenlab.ca/2025/06/firs...

And here's our original report that kicked all of this off 👇 Paragon marketed itself as the responsible alternative to NSO. But without proper safeguards & oversight, it's not clear any firm canmake such claims when it comes to how govts will abuse their hacking tech citizenlab.ca/2025/03/a-fi...

NEW: #Google's #Android 16 to feature optional high security mode. Cool! It's the 'turn this one thing on if you face elevated risk' that we've been asking for from Google. Bunch of requested features that address the kinds of threats we worry about. Let's dig in a bit 1/

Circumventing internet censorship in Indonesia is getting harder. @irenepoet.bsky.social examines Indonesia’s use of DNS redirection to censor online content and how it impacts free expression in her essay published by @carnegieendowment.org. Read here: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Canada 🇨🇦's Liberal govt has proposed a new "Border Security Bill," in large part in response to pressures from 🇺🇸 I raised concerns about that back in March 2025 👇 macleans.ca/politics/the...

What exactly sets foreign interference apart from influence? On June 9, join the Citizen Lab’s @emiledirks.bsky.social for an online session that will explore the evolving landscape of China’s transnational influence and repression efforts. Register here: canadachinaforum.ca/2025/05/the-...

Check out this zine which captures the key moments from "Resisting Technofascism" - a panel discussion moderated by our senior fellow @cyn-k.bsky.social at U of Windsor's #WeRobot2025 conference last month. See it here👇 www.uwindsor.ca/law/sites/uw...

🧵 On April 16, we @citizenlab.ca published our report on JUICYJAM, a longstanding doxxing and harassment campaign that Thai authorities have been running against the local pro-democracy movement. Unsurprisingly, we and those reporting on it then became their target.

Senior researcher @jsrailton.bsky.social appeared before the EU Parliament’s LIBE committee on 05/13 to share the latest research on the proliferation of #spyware in #Europe. youtu.be/dkkfCaJF0Jw

Join us on May 21 for a hybrid workshop to explore digital sovereignty, the methodologies for its study, & the global trend around sovereignty in the digital world. Learn more & register here: cis.cnrs.fr/metrics-of-s...

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: computer.org/csdl/proceed...

I'm thinking of all of the countless victims, only a fraction of which we @citizenlab.ca @accessnow.org @amnesty.org and others identified of NSO Group's malicious sales to ruthless despots and corrupt security agencies. Never let bullies win.

With today's jury award in the WhatsApp / NSO case, I'm especially looking forward to talking with @rondeibert.bsky.social and @sheilacoronel.bsky.social tomorrow about "digital authoritarianism and the fight for democracy." Fully subscribed already but there's an open waitlist--link below.

BREAKING: jury awards massive $167 million in punitive damages against spyware company NSO Group. Precedent-setting win against notorious #Pegasus spyware maker. Very consequential for victims to see this. Congratulations to #WhatsApp on sticking this case through since 2019. Some thoughts 1/

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.bsky.social in downtown Toronto. Learn more: citizenlab.ca/2025/05/job-...

Worried about travelling to the 🇺🇸? Hear what Citizen Lab director @rondeibert.bsky.social has to say about safeguarding your data when crossing the border. Listen to his interview with @mattgalloway.bsky.social on CBC's the Current. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

How should we think about AI and the law ? The Citizen Lab’s @cyn-k.bsky.social will discuss, on May 2 at the TorontoHRA Conference hosted by Lancaster House, in her keynote speech about how AI relates to power in our society. Learn more: lancasterhouse.com/event/toront...

NEW REPORT: Our investigation of a spearphishing campaign targeting members of the @uyghurcongress.bsky.social reveals a highly-customized attack. Its aim: to deliver Windows-based malware capable of conducting remote surveillance against its targets. citizenlab.ca/2025/04/uygh...

New report out @citizenlab.ca A spearphishing campaign against senior @uyghurcongress.bsky.social members as part of ongoing digital transnational repression against the Uyghur diaspora. citizenlab.ca/2025/04/uygh... 1/3

Signal is secure and private. Understanding the larger issues raised by SignalGatee requires interrogating the surveillance business model. Brilliant work, getting right to the marrow of the issue, from @rondeibert.bsky.social !

"Were any of the Houthi Signal group members compromised at the time they discussed the Yemen attack plans? Frankly, it would be shocking if they were not." My latest in @foreignaffairs.com on "The Real Lessons of SignalGate" www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Listen to @rondeibert.bsky.social's latest interview on CBC Ideas.

@therecordmedia.bsky.social also covering JUICYJAM

Read more about our investigation into JUICYJAM from lead author and Citizen Lab senior researcher @fittarelli.com 👇

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: citizenlab.ca/2025/04/how-...

In one week, we will welcome @rondeibert.bsky.social at our next online seminar for a talk and Q&A on his new book Chasing Shadows! Join us on Tuesday 15 April, 16:00-17:00 (CET) - register here to receive the meeting link: universiteitleiden.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

“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..." ✍️ @emiledirks.bsky.social and Diana Fu in a new piece for @asiapacificfdn.bsky.social Read it here: www.asiapacific.ca/publication/...

Thanks for the shout out @thewalrus.ca "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." thewalrus.ca/the-case-for...

New peer-reviewed article by the Citizen Lab’s @mmichae1sen.bsky.social & @sanstis.bsky.social discusses the gendered forms of digital threats faced by women human rights defenders and journalists in exile and in the diaspora. Read it here ⬇️ www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

📢 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 submissions to Issue 2 (in-person event) is April 21. Learn more: foci.community#cfp