Sign in

The Citizen Lab

@citizenlab.ca
13K followers 36 following 249 posts

We are an academic research unit at the University of Toronto investigating novel threats to democracy, human rights, and global security in the digital ecosystem.

PostsRepliesMedia
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 23/09/2026
Join senior researcher @wchr.bsky.social at @re-publica.com in Vienna on October 2nd to discuss how government agencies are accessing behavioural data from online advertising for surveillance purposes. Register here: tickets.infield.live/event/re-pub...
0116
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 23/09/2026
1/ Two UN reports citing Citizen Lab submissions have been published this month. The first, from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, describes digital risks to human rights defenders. Read it here: docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/63/52
docs.un.org
Document Viewer
184
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Emile Dirks @emiledirks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In response to a request for info from the Research Directorate at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, colleagues at @citizenlab.ca & I have written a submission examining the Chinese government's monitoring of Chinese citizens and diaspora members in Canada. citizenlab.ca/submission-t...
citizenlab.ca
Submission to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada - The Citizen Lab
The Citizen Lab submitted a response to the Research Directorate at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
133
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 22/09/2026
Join Citizen Lab director @rondeibert.bsky.social in Toronto for his keynote speech at SecTor on October 7. He will be speaking about the Citizen Lab’s decades of work acting as “counterintelligence for civil society.” Register: sector.informafestivals.com/2026/
0108
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 21/09/2026
1/ Citizen Lab researchers are presenting at the @rightscon.org Continues Summit, a 24-hour online event on September 22-23! Senior researcher @jsrailton.bsky.social will be discussing the commercial spyware industry on September 22 at 4:15 pm CEST.
121
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 17/09/2026
1/ 🚨 NEW RESEARCH: We identified a training program provided to government employees in Angola by the Israeli influence-for-hire company BlackCore. Read the brief: citizenlab.ca/research/bla...
citizenlab.ca
Research Note: BlackCore’s Influence Operations for Hire - The Citizen Lab
In this research note, we examine the digital infrastructure of BlackCore, an Israeli influence-for-hire company. We describe how we identified a BlackCore campaign consisting of a training program pr...
12914
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 14/09/2026
Join @cyn-k.bsky.social tomorrow, September 15th at 7PM ET, for @civictechto.bsky.social Meetup #560. She will present a recent joint brief by @citizenlab.ca and @cancivlib.bsky.social that analyzes the privacy and human rights implications of Bill C-22. Register here: guild.host/events/civic...
012
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 10/09/2026
1/ A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers have called for three Indian companies that have hacked and stolen data from Americans to be added to the economic sanctions “entity list.” Read the TechCrunch coverage here: techcrunch.com/2026/09/09/g...
techcrunch.com
Group of bipartisan lawmakers ask US government to ban several hack-for-hire firms | TechCrunch
The three Indian companies are accused of using hackers to steal information used to sway litigation.
183
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 09/09/2026
1/ Citizen Lab researchers @noura.bsky.social, Shaila Baran, @mmichae1sen.bsky.social and @sanstis.bsky.social analyze how intersecting identities of gender and sexual orientation shape experiences of digital transnational repression in a special issue of the Journal of Online Trust and Safety.
195
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 07/09/2026
📣 Senior researcher @noura.bsky.social will present on taking a “queering cybersecurity” approach to digital transnational repression with the Journal of Online Trust and Safety tomorrow (September 8) at 11am ET. Join: stanford.zoom.us/j/9404579049... 🔐 595654
stanford.zoom.us
Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise cloud communications.
065
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 04/09/2026
Citizen Lab researchers @sanstis.bsky.social, @natynettle.bsky.social, and @katepundyk.bsky.social write in @lawfaremedia.org about the U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling against state immunity in a case involving exiled Bahraini dissidents targeted with spyware. Read: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/u.k....
lawfaremedia.org
U.K. Supreme Court Opens Door for Spyware Victims to Sue Foreign States
The Kingdom of Bahrain cannot claim immunity from a suit by exiled dissidents over harm caused by spyware surveillance on U.K. soil.
0236
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 02/09/2026
1/ NEW: an investigation by our collaborator SHARE Foundation reveals widespread spyware targeting Serbia's pro-democracy student movement. The Citizen Lab confirms that an iPhone belonging to a student was infected with Pegasus spyware. Read more: sharefoundation.info/en/share-fou...
sharefoundation.info
SHARE Foundation: Students and Opposition Politicians Targeted by Spyware - SHARE Fondacija
The SHARE Foundation has confirmed that at least 14 people in Serbia were targeted with advanced spyware since at the beginning of 2026 – the largest documented wave of such surveillance in the countr...
12324
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 31/08/2026
🔈 Join senior researcher @irenepoet.bsky.social at Data for Policy 2026 on September 8-10. She will be presenting on how AI systems have facilitated the consolidation of state authority differently in India and Vietnam. Register: dataforpolicy.org/dfp26-regist...
151
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 20/08/2026
Senior researcher @jsrailton.bsky.social spoke to @techcrunch.com about the “unprecedented” number of Apple users who recently received notifications alerting them to suspected spyware attacks against their devices. Read: techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/u...
techcrunch.com
‘Unprecedented’ number of Apple users received recent spyware alert, say investigators | TechCrunch
Cybersecurity experts who investigate spyware attacks say the number of people who received a recent threat notification from Apple is unusually high.
185
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 17/08/2026
📢 @opentechfund.bsky.social's 2026 Information Controls Research Program supporting researchers tackling internet #censorship & #surveillance is accepting applications. As one of the host organizations, we welcome proposals. Learn more and apply by September 7, 2026: citizenlab.ca/call-for-app...
citizenlab.ca
Call for Applications: Information Controls Research Program 2026 - The Citizen Lab
The Information Controls Research Program (ICRP) (formerly known as the “Information Controls Fellowship Program) from the Open Technology Fund (OTF) supports applied research into how authoritarian g...
047
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Alberto Fittarelli @fittarelli.com · 06/08/2026
As I mention in my comment to this investigation by @jdowsea.bsky.social and @occrp.org, coordinated false reporting is an almost invisible, and therefore incredibly underestimated censorship threat to civil society - and to anyone bothering those who will pay for the service.
01811
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 05/08/2026
Citizen Lab researchers @sanstis.bsky.social, @mmichae1sen.bsky.social, and @katepundyk.bsky.social write about how restrictive immigration policies enable transnational repression for @fpcthinktank.bsky.social. Read: fpc.org.uk/immigration-...
fpc.org.uk
Long Read | Immigration Policy: The Backdoor to Transnational Repression - The Foreign Policy Centre
Democratic governments are stepping up efforts to combat transnational repression, but restrictive immigration policies may inadvertently help authoritarian regimes target dissidents.
11411
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 31/07/2026
Senior research associate @kate-ro.bsky.social speaks about Canada’s surprising decision to sign the UN Cybercrime Convention with @mgeist.bsky.social, arguing that it has significant implications for human rights and internet freedom. Listen: www.michaelgeist.ca/podcast/epis...
michaelgeist.ca
Episode 277: Kate Robertson on the Risks That Lie Behind Canada's Unexpected Signing of the UN Cybercrime Convention - Michael Geist
The Canadian government’s surprise decision to sign the UN Cybercrime Convention has sparked many questions about the convention, its risks, and what changed over the past nine months between Canada n...
196
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 28/07/2026
A recent investigation by @occrp.org found that the co-founder of NSO Group travelled to Panama in 2013 on an Israeli diplomatic passport. Senior researcher @jsrailton.bsky.social notes that it “raises questions about NSO’s connections to the [Israeli] state.” Read: www.occrp.org/en/project/t...
occrp.org
Co-Founder of Controversial Spyware Firm Had Israeli Diplomatic Passport
Spyware company NSO Group’s co-founder Shalev Hulio used an Israeli diplomatic passport to enter Panama in 2013, raising questions over the firm’s claims of independence from the Israeli state.
03119
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Thrilled to have an opportunity to speak about my new book #ChillingEffects with @justinhendrix.bsky.social, Editor in Chief of @techpolicypress.bsky.social Listen in below!
01210
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 24/07/2026
Senior fellow Gary Miller spoke with @capecellular.bsky.social about the exploitation of mobile network vulnerabilities to track US personnel during the Iran war. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9rK...
youtube.com
How Iran Uses Cellular Infrastructure to Target US Military Phones
YouTube video by Cape
095
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 20/07/2026
Senior research fellow Gary Miller spoke to @financialtimes.com about attempts to exploit mobile network vulnerabilities to track US personnel during the Iran war. Read: www.ft.com/content/4435...
ft.com
US military smartphones targeted through roaming and ad tech
Cyber attacks tried to track down American personnel in Middle East as Tehran attacked forces in the region
01510
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 17/07/2026
Join the Citizen Lab in Calgary at the 26th Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS). Senior researchers @jsrailton.bsky.social and Rebekah Brown will be speaking, and Citizen Lab researchers are presenting their analysis of censorship on Amazon. Register: web-eur.cvent.com/event/fbb91d...
web-eur.cvent.com
Registration Details - PETS 2026
Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium 2026
0114
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 17/07/2026
WATCH: Last week, the European Parliament had a debate on #spyware after we found that a former MEP's phone was hacked with #Pegasus. The consensus: the crisis is getting worse. @hneumannmep.bsky.social @saskiabricmont.bsky.social @lukassiepermdep.bsky.social @danusenerudova.bsky.social
01811
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Taiwanese authorities charge executives who helped China’s cyber spies target ICIJ network The probe corroborates @icij.org & @citizenlab.ca findings that attacks against journalists were part of a coordinated espionage campaign sponsored by Beijing. www.icij.org/investigatio...
icij.org
Taiwanese authorities charge executives who helped China’s cyber spies target ICIJ network - ICIJ
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau probe corroborates ICIJ and Citizen Lab’s findings that attacks against journalists were part of a coordinated espionage campaign sponsored by Beijing.
02920
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I have a new Op-Ed in @theguardian.com (with Bruce Schneier) on the social chill of AI surveillance. If widely deployed, it will be corrosive to democracy & social progress. We cite my new book #ChillingEffects on how surveillance & tech shapes behavior at scale: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
AI surveillance is being supercharged – and it will chill social progress | Bruce Schneier and Jon Penney
These systems will soon be able to track our public and private lives. But we can make the policy choices to reject it
03216
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 03/07/2026
1/ NEW REPORT: Former Member of the European Parliament Stelios Kouloglou was repeatedly hacked with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware while serving on the EU committee investigating Pegasus and other spyware abuses in Europe. Full report: citizenlab.ca/research/mem...
citizenlab.ca
Espionage Against the European Parliament: Member of Committee Investigating Spyware Hacked with Pegasus - The Citizen Lab
We found that former Member of the European Parliament Stelios Kouloglou was hacked with Pegasus spyware while serving on the PEGA committee, which investigated Pegasus and other spyware abuses in Eur...
13121
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 02/07/2026
In “How to Combat Transnational Repression,” published in @jodemocracy.bsky.social, Citizen Lab researchers @sanstis.bsky.social and @mmichae1sen.bsky.social write about the lack of accountability for perpetrators of transnational repression. Read: www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/how...
journalofdemocracy.org
How to Combat Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy
Authoritarians actively threaten, intimidate, and murder exiles and opponents wherever they find them. While justice for victims is hard won, it is possible. Here is how democracies can push back.
01912
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 25/06/2026
Senior research associate @emiledirks.bsky.social has been elected to serve as a member of @pencanada.bsky.social's board of directors, chairing the new Digital Threats committee: pencanada.ca/who-we-are/l...
pencanada.ca
Leadership & Staff - PEN Canada
Meet our board members, advisory council, and the PEN Canada staff. Contact us if you have questions or want to get involved.
051
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 25/06/2026
1/ NEW RESEARCH: We find that Russian authorities used Cellebrite to gain access to activist Andrey Pivovarov’s phone. Full brief: citizenlab.ca/research/rus...
citizenlab.ca
Russia Breaks Into Human Rights Activist's Phone With Cellebrite - The Citizen Lab
We analyzed Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov’s phone, finding that Russian authorities used forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite to gain access to his device. A document prepared by Russian a...
11815
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 22/06/2026
Join senior researcher @noura.bsky.social for “Security Without Safety: Queering Cybersecurity in the Age of Digital Transnational Repression” as part of the University of Zurich's "Confronting Transnational Repression" workshop: www.ema.uzh.ch/en/register/...
ema.uzh.ch
Register | Confronting Transnational Repression: Building Knowledge and Solidarities Across Communities, Civil Society, and Academia | Event Portal | UZH
082
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 15/06/2026
Senior fellow @cyn-k.bsky.social writes that Canada’s new AI strategy is reorienting democratic functions “around the false god of AI” in @thewalrus.ca : thewalrus.ca/canada-ai-pl...
thewalrus.ca
Canada Finally Has a National AI Strategy. Experts Hate It | The Walrus
We asked researchers, entrepreneurs, and policy analysts to read the plan so you don’t have to. They found plenty to worry about
2188
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 12/06/2026
Senior researcher Luis Fernando García participated in a Conversatorio Regional hosted by @FViaLibre on “Technologies of state surveillance, democratic control, and protection of civil space.” Watch here: www.youtube.com/live/QkpW72p....
youtube.com
¿Cuáles son las tendencias más preocupantes sobre tecnologías de vigilancia en América Latina?
YouTube video by Fundación Vía Libre
021
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 12/06/2026
As part of World Press Freedom Day 2026, @sanstis.bsky.social will be speaking on a webinar titled “Media Under Attack,” part of @fpcthinktank.bsky.social “Media Freedom Under Threat” series. Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
083
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
It was a real pleasure to speak with Phoebe Fronista of iMEdD about the work of the @citizenlab.ca while in Athens, Greece "Surveillance capitalism, counterintelligence for civil society, and journalism: a conversation with Citizen Lab’s founder" lab.imedd.org/en/surveilla...
lab.imedd.org
Surveillance capitalism, counterintelligence for civil society, and journalism: a conversation with Citizen Lab's founder - iMEdD Lab
The founder and director of the University of Toronto’s renowned Citizen Lab sat down with iMEdD in Athens to talk about the crisis he perceives in liberal democracy and the future of digital spyware.
0123
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Cynthia Khoo @cyn-k.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
New joint publication by @citizenlab.ca + @cancivlib.bsky.social! In which @kate-ro.bsky.social & I join forces w/ Tamir @digitalprivacy.ca to explain the federal govt's many... "(Un)forced Errors: Analysis of Proposed Surveillance Law Expansion under Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access" 🧵1/x
citizenlab.ca
The Citizen Lab (Un)forced Errors: Analysis of Proposed Surveillance Law Expansion under Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access -
This submission analyzes Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, which would enact broad surveillance obligations and reforms in Canada. Issues include: the bill’s sweeping scope, significant constitutional...
26242
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 29/05/2026
Doctoral fellow Swantje Lange @swantjelan.bsky.social spoke with the Hasso Plattner Institut @hpi.bsky.social about sophisticated surveillance campaigns being used to exploit mobile networks, sharing that “the mobile network is highly opaque and extremely complex.” hpi.de/en/article/r...
hpi.de
Researchers uncover espionage in mobile networks
Like a spy movie: Researchers from HPI and the University of Toronto reveal how surveillance actors exploit mobile networks to track people worldwide.
02011
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 27/05/2026
"We believe students aren’t protesting for a very simple reason: They are afraid. They are self-censoring and disengaging from campaign activism to avoid punitive measures," says senior research fellow Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social in his new essay for @theconversation.com.
0137
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 25/05/2026
Senior research associate @kate-ro.bsky.social writes for @thewalrus.ca about the potential implications of Canada’s proposed Bill C-22 for future data-sharing agreements with foreign law enforcement agencies. thewalrus.ca/trump-wants-...
thewalrus.ca
Trump Wants to Tap Your Phone. Ottawa Might Let Him | The Walrus
Bill C-22 will lay the legal groundwork for giving the US warrantless access to our data
02521
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Alberto Fittarelli @fittarelli.com · 07/05/2026
🧵Remember PAPERWALL, the sprawling disinfo network we @citizenlab.ca exposed in 2024 as run by a Chinese firm, Haimai? 2 full years later, it's still very active and expanding. In its quest to cover the whole globe, it is now focusing also on Australia, New Zealand, and India. Readers? Still zero.
citizenlab.ca
PAPERWALL: Chinese Websites Posing as Local News Outlets Target Global Audiences with Pro-Beijing Content - The Citizen Lab
A network of at least 123 websites operated from within the People’s Republic of China while posing as local news outlets in 30 countries across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, disseminates pro-Beiji...
1209
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 04/05/2026
Citizen Lab researchers and director @rondeibert.bsky.social signed an open letter to the Parliament of Canada calling for the full withdrawal of Bill C-22: openmedia.org/press/item/c...
openmedia.org
11814
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
John Scott-Railton @jsrailton.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
NEW: we caught 🇨🇳Chinese hackers... again. Twist: they're hacking journalists & activists, but we suspect they're private contractors. State repression... with a profit margin. Thread + how to protect yourself 1/ By my colleagues @citizenlab.ca + @icij.org citizenlab.ca/research/how...
315581
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 28/04/2026
NEW REPORT ➡️ In collaboration with @icij.org, we identified two distinct actors aligned with the People’s Republic of China that have been targeting and impersonating journalists and civil society. Full report: citizenlab.ca/research/how...
citizenlab.ca
Tall Tales: How Chinese Actors Use Impersonation and Stolen Narratives to Perpetuate Digital Transnational Repression - The Citizen Lab
In collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), we identified what we conclude to be two distinct actors aligned with the People’s Republic of China. Our findin...
13719
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 23/04/2026
🚨New research reveals how two sophisticated surveillance actors exploited the global telecom ecosystem and, for the first time, directly links combined 3G and 4G network attacks to mobile operator infrastructure. citizenlab.ca/research/unc...
citizenlab.ca
Bad Connection: Uncovering Global Telecom Exploitation by Covert Surveillance Actors
Our investigation uncovers two sophisticated telecom surveillance campaigns and, for the first time, links real-world attack traffic to mobile operator signalling infrastructure. The findings expose h...
12923
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 21/04/2026
Join Noura Aljizawi at the inaugural Ottawa Civic Space Summit on April 21, hosted by Cooperation Canada and Resilient Societies: app.glueup.com/event/igniti...
app.glueup.com
Igniting Hope | Cooperation Canada
040
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 21/04/2026
Senior research associate @emiledirks.bsky.social spoke with Domino Theory about Xi Jinping’s view of national security in light of U.S. and Israeli cyber operations in Iran: dominotheory.com/from-stuxnet...
dominotheory.com
From Stuxnet to Operation Epic Fury: The China-Iran Intelligence Nexus - Domino Theory
Between 2010 and 2012, the CIA’s spy network in China experienced one of the worst intelligence breaches in modern history, leading Beijing to reportedly execute more than 30 U.S. sources. While the e...
064
Reposted by The Citizen Lab
Wolfie Christl @wchr.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Last week, we at @citizenlab.ca and @vsquare.bsky.social exposed Hungarian intelligence’s use of Webloc, an ad-based surveillance system that relies on mobile app data. Update: The Hungarian GDPR regulator told @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social it has launched an ex officio investigation into the matter.
1168
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 09/04/2026
NEW REPORT: “Uncovering Webloc: An Analysis of Penlink’s Ad-based Geolocation Surveillance Tech” Our research confirms that ad-based surveillance tech Webloc is used by military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies across the globe. citizenlab.ca/research/ana...
citizenlab.ca
Uncovering Webloc: An Analysis of Penlink’s Ad-based Geolocation Surveillance Tech - The Citizen Lab
Location data collected from mobile apps and digital advertising can reveal habits, interests and almost any other aspect of someone's life. In this report, we uncover how a geolocation surveillance system called Webloc uses ad-based data to monitor hundreds of millions of people across the globe.
27660
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 08/04/2026
“People will fall back to what works, and they won’t think about security in those critical moments.” Senior researcher Ksenia Ermoshina spoke w/ the @nytimes.com about how Russians may start giving in to the limits imposed by state censorship technology. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/w...
nytimes.com
A Cat-and-Mouse Game of Russian Internet Restrictions and Evasion
070
The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 08/04/2026
Our submission to the UN Working Group regarding the use of tech in the operations and activities of mercenaries, mercenary-related actors and private military and security companies, warns that states should stop relying on the private sector for digital operations. citizenlab.ca/wp-content/u...
citizenlab.ca
0155