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Noura Aljizawi

@noura.bsky.social
9.2K followers 431 following 177 posts

Senior Researcher @Citizenlab.ca , UofT Exploring the dark dimensions of digital power: authoritarianism, transnational repression & disinformation.

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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Journalist and former MEP Stelios Kouloglou has filed a lawsuit against the Israeli executives of NSO Group, the manufacturer of Pegasus spyware. In July, @citizenlab.ca discovered Stelios' phone had been hacked with Pegasus spyware citizenlab.ca/research/mem... www.dnews.gr/eidhseis/pol...
dnews.gr
Νέα διάσταση στις υποκλοπές: Μήνυση Κούλογλου σε βάρος των Ισραηλινών υπευθύνων για το Pegasus - Dnews
Νέα τροπή στην υπόθεση των τηλεφωνικών υποκλοπών δίνει η μήνυση του Στέλιου Κούλογλου κατά των υπευθύνων της ισραηλινής εταιρείας NSO Group για την παρακολούθησή του με το κατασκοπευτικό λογισμικό Peg...
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Honored to work with my @citizenlab.ca colleagues on this response to the Research Directorate at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada on the monitoring and targeting of Chinese citizens and diaspora members in Canada by the Chinese authorities and their proxies. citizenlab.ca/wp-content/u...
Screenshot of the first page of the submission, including the title and authors
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
While across several sectors, workers have been treated as a liability and dehumanized, and subjected to be replaced by robots or AI.. this win is a glimpse of hope.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I’m thrilled to have our paper published in this fantastic JOTS’s special issue on Digital Intersectionality and Marginalization in the Majority World. Read more about our paper on “Queering Cybersecurity in the Age of Digital Transnational Repression” in this thread🧵 bsky.app/profile/nour...
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
1/ Exile as "Safe haven" has become an illusion for women & queer activists. Crossing borders is no longer a guarantee of safety when repressive states use digital technology & weaponize intersectional identities to silence them & sabotage lives & rights in exile. Yet, they face such threats alone🧵
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Join us tomorrow as we celebrate the launch of the Journal of Online Trust & Safety’s special issue on "Digital Intersectionality and Marginalisation in the Majority World." I’m thrilled to be presenting our paper “Queering Cybersecurity” alongside several brilliant authors. Hope to see you there!
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I can’t agree more with every word Hussam said. This open scar can never heal and one day of remembrance is not enough. Families want their loved ones, they want the truth, they want answers, they want justice, they want to trust that it will never happen again & no another loved one will disappear.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A Sentence in Damascus and An Accused in Moscow: The Limits of Syria’s First Attempt at Accountability. By Fadel Abdulghany & @kennethroth.bsky.social www.justsecurity.org/155118/limit...
justsecurity.org
A Sentence in Damascus and An Accused in Moscow: The Limits of Syria’s First Attempt at Accountability
Bashar Al-Assad's in absentia conviction represents a milestone in Syria's justice system, but the trial was plagued by glaring problems.
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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
New: ICE plans to spend millions of dollars on Boston Dynamics dog robots. ICE says this is to improve "officer safety." The robots can open doors, pick up objects, have 360 cameras, infrared vision, etc. Boston Dynamics didn't respond to question on its stance on ICE www.404media.co/ice-plans-to...
404media.co
ICE Plans to Spends Millions on Boston Dynamics Dog Robots
ICE wants the robot dogs to improve “officer safety.”
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
What started as a malicious deepfake against an Egyptian woman ended in an ‘honor’ murder committed by her husband. Terrifying case, how technology is weaponized to destroy women’s and young girls’ lives. Absolutely chilling www.independentarabia.com/node/656621/...
independentarabia.com
التكنولوجيا... سلاح جديد يغتال نساء مصر في جرائم الشرف
مع انتشار التكنولوجيا فإن دوافع جرائم الشرف ذاتها اختلفت فقديماً كان ثبوت واقعة أو وجود دليل مثل صورة أو رسالة كقرينة على الضحية، أما حالياً ففي عصر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي والذكاء الاصطناعي وفبركة ال...
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The word “Cambridge" appears 45 times in the $17 billion Meta child-harms settlement, notes Jason Kint. Buried inside: a $459,293,017.80 payment resolving Cambridge Analytica claims across at least 46 states and two territories.
techpolicy.press
The $459 Million Cambridge Analytica Reckoning Buried in Meta's Teen Safety Settlement
Tucked inside the landmark settlement is another settlement, writes Jason Kint.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Rights Organizations Call for an End to Requiring Telecom Users in Egypt to Provide Biometric Data egyptianforum.org/en/rights-or...
egyptianforum.org
Rights Organizations Call for an End to Requiring Telecom Users in Egypt to Provide Biometric Data
The undersigned organizations reject any policy that makes providing a facial image, fingerprint, or other biometric identifier data a condition for registering, managing, or recovering a mobile phone...
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
How do surveillance, censorship, and technologies of control get weaponized—and how do we push back? Justin Hendrix talks with Jonathon W. Penney, author of "Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age," about his roadmap for reform.
techpolicy.press
A Roadmap for Confronting the Chilling Effects of Censorship, Surveillance and New Technology
A conversation with Jonathon W. Penney, author of Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age.
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Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Canadian 🇨🇦 forensic company Magnet suing a former employee for disclosing an Apple zero-day the company was hoarding & exploiting to crack iPhones "the public disclosure...alerted Apple to the flaw and allowed it to be..fixed, reducing its value..." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
IPhone Hacking Firm Sues Ex-Worker Over Alleged Theft of Secrets
Magnet Forensics Inc., a Canadian cybersecurity firm, accused a former contractor of sharing trade secrets about a previously unknown flaw used to hack iPhones with a rival firm.
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Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Canada's 🇨🇦 proposed lawful access law (Bill C22) is so bad it even has US Senators (like @wyden.senate.gov) worried it will create national security spying risks for Americans 🇺🇸! www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/do...
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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Martijn Grooten @martijngrooten.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I'm an optimist so I think that maybe SS7 being used to track US military (rather than, say, journalists or activists) will help fix that gaping hole techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/i...
techcrunch.com
Iran abused mobile networks' vulnerabilities to locate US military in the Middle East, report says | TechCrunch
The Iranian government exploited well-known flaws in cellphone networks to locate and then strike U.S. military personnel in the build-up and beginning of the war.
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Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
knightcolumbia.org/content/fede...
knightcolumbia.org
Federal Court Suspends Trump Immigration Policy Targeting Technology Researchers
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PEN International @peninternational.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Days after writing this letter from prison, Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy began a hunger strike after being denied books, writing materials and clothing. We call for his rights to be restored immediately. Read the full letter: www.pen-international.org/cases/galal-...
A red graphic by PEN International featuring an excerpt from a letter by imprisoned Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy. The text reads: "My dear Egypt, How are you? I miss you." Below, the letter begins: "I know there are reasons why you haven't been in touch... I'm a bit upset with you—though not too upset... I hesitated a lot before writing to you because, honestly, I don't know your address. Besides, I was told that many people write to you, but you never reply..." Galal El-Behairy's name appears in the bottom-right corner, with the PEN International logo at the top left.
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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 07/07/2026
Spyware victim @nasoskoukakis.bsky.social asks the former Chair of the PEGA Committee to explain why he voted against holding a plenary debate after a member of his own committee was targeted with Pegasus while it was investigating #spyware abuses. x.com/nasoskook/st...
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Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 07/07/2026
Former 🇬🇷PM Antonis Samaras has filed a motion with the country's Supreme Court prosecutor requesting a full investigation into how he was targeted with Predator #spyware. www.tovima.com/politics/for...
tovima.com
Former PM Antonis Samaras Files Motion Over Predator Spyware Case - tovima.com
Samaras says he has repeatedly asked the government for answers, with no response to date
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Another win for survivors of torture; Syrian intelligence chief found guilty of torture by Austrian court. He was brought to Austria ⁠by the ​domestic intelligence service BVT at the request of the Israeli Mossad ​as part of "Operation White Milk.” #Justice #Syria www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Syrian intelligence chief found guilty of torture by Austrian court
Two former Syrian officials went on trial in Vienna, Austria, accused of crimes against opponents of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I’m shocked that many other members of the European Parliament are not protesting against this alarming escalation. Targeting one is targeting everyone around them, including former colleagues who chose to remain silent today.
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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 03/07/2026
⚠️ @citizenlab.ca notes that whoever perpetrated the #spyware attacks on MEP Stelios Kouloglou would have potentially gotten access to internal information about 🇪🇺PEGA's activities & findings. ✍️ @lhn.bsky.social @mattburgess1.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/eu-pol...
wired.com
EU Politicians Investigated Pegasus Spyware. Then It Ended Up on One of Their Phones
“It is a direct attack on the rule of law,” says one European Parliament member of the new findings from Citizen Lab.
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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
NEW @citizenlab.ca report: Member of 🇪🇺 Euro Parliamentary committee (#PEGA) tasked with investigating spyware abuses himself hacked with Pegasus spyware 👇 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...
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Hannah Neumann @hneumannmep.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
A Member of the @europarl.europa.eu Stelios Kouloglou investigating #spyware abuse was hacked with #Pegasus while serving on the PEGA Committee. READ THAT AGAIN. They didn’t only target an MEP. They spied on the investigation into spyware abuse itself. 🧵1/9
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...
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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 22/06/2026
Canada’s Bill C-22 is riddled with privacy problems that affect millions of people. Instead of jamming it though on an arbitrary deadline, it should be debated fully. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
Canada Is Forging Ahead with Its Dangerous Surveillance Bill
With no serious debate, including on proposed amendments, Canada is blazing full speed ahead with Bill C-22, which would threaten encryption and increase surveillance. Also known as the Lawful Access
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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
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
🚨 Bill C-22 forces every Canadian internet provider, messaging app & cloud service to build surveillance backdoors and store a year of your data. Foreign state hackers exploited similar legislation in the US. Shut the backdoor: openmedia.org/StopC22-bsky #BillC22
openmedia.org
Stop the Surveillance State: Stop Bill C-22!
🚨 Bill C-22 forces every Canadian internet provider, messaging app & cloud service to build surveillance backdoors and store a year of your data. Foreign state hackers exploited similar legislation in...
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Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
From @citizenlab.ca @cyn-k.bsky.social : Bill C-22 could expose Canadian data to U.S. surveillance policyoptions.irpp.org/2026/06/bill...
policyoptions.irpp.org
Bill C-22 could expose Canadian data to U.S. surveillance
Ottawa should reject any data-sharing agreement that allows U.S. authorities to access Canadians' personal information without Canadian oversight.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Uber and Lyft ... routinely charge different customers significantly different prices for the same rides, a monthslong Consumer Reports investigation has found. Across the routes we tested, the median difference between the lowest and highest price groupings was about 50 percent."
consumerreports.org
Different Prices for the Same Ride: How Uber and Lyft Use AI to Get More Money Out of You - Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports found Uber and Lyft use algorithmic pricing to give different consumers very different prices for the same rides.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Elon Musk accused of fuelling unrest after Belfast knife attack dpa-international.com/politics/urn...
dpa-international.com
Elon Musk accused of fuelling unrest after Belfast knife attack | dpa international
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John Scott-Railton @jsrailton.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
NEW: malware developers added nuclear & biological weapons text to to their spyware. Goal? To trigger LLM safety refusals... so that their spyware wouldn't be analyzed by an AI security scanner. Cleanest practical example I can think of for why over-indexing on first order "safety" is risky. 1/
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tante @tante.cc · 10/06/2026
A court in Munich declared that Google is liable for their "AI summaries" and all its hallucinations. This brings "AI" slop in line with all other products: "AI" is basically the only product where a provider can deliver unchecked garbage and put all liability on the consumer.
the-decoder.com
Landmark German ruling declares Google's AI Overviews are Google's own words and makes it liable for false answers
A German regional court has ruled that Google is directly liable for the content of its AI search overviews. According to the court, previous limited liability protections for search engine operators don't apply to AI overviews. In this case, Google's AI had falsely linked two publishers to fraud and made claims that didn't appear in any of the linked sources. The ruling could set a precedent for AI-generated content liability worldwide.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Kudos to @kate-ro.bsky.social @cyn-k.bsky.social @digitalprivacy.ca for their remarkable analysis of Bill C-22. It's essential reading. Please read it and share it widely in your network.
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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Bruce Schneier (@schneier.com) and I have a new essay in @theconversation.com on the Trump administration's strategy of weaponizing law, technology, & surveillance to chill protest, dissent, & political opposition. In short, the chilling effects are the point. theconversation.com/chilling-eff...
theconversation.com
Chilling effects of Trump’s war on free speech extend far beyond campus walls – and that’s the point
A persistent government strategy to sow fear through punitive measures has corroded freedom and democracy.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
danah boyd recently argued that social media (as we knew it) is mostly dead; what we have now is parasocial media: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... I agree. Networked social media is disappearing, replaced by a new logic/structure of content creator, creator-centered community, & algorithm.
journals.sagepub.com
Social Media Is Now Parasocial Media - danah boyd, 2026
When practitioners used the term “social media” to describe the internet tools that emerged in the mid-aughts, they were giving a name to the kinds of platforms...
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Judy Trinh @judytrinh.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Advocates call on Anand to raise transnational repression concerns with China’s top diplomat during Canadian visit. Concerns include family members imprisoned without a trial and an RCMP cooperation agreement with Chinese Communist police. www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...
ctvnews.ca
Advocates call on Anand to raise transnational repression concerns with China’s top diplomat during Canadian visit
Human rights advocates plan to protest on Parliament Hill when China’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrives to meet his Canadian counterpart.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
“Leaked Documents Reveal Russian ‘Cognitive Strikes’ Against the West — Including Islamophobic ‘Pig Head’ Attacks in Paris” @occrp.org www.occrp.org/en/investiga...
occrp.org
Leaked Documents Reveal Russian ‘Cognitive Strikes’ Against the West — Including Islamophobic ‘Pig Head’ Attacks in Paris
Leaked chats and documents showcase the Russian presidential administration’s role in false-flag vandalism attacks and election interference campaigns in Europe and beyond.
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Brandon Stewart @bstewart.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
1/ New @Nature! We study how powerful institutions shape the information environment for LLMs. Commercial LLM training is opaque, so we trace a path from state-coordinated media -> training data -> model responses.
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Kate Robertson @kate-ro.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
NEW today an essay from me in @thewalrus.ca on Bill C-22 (being rushed through committee in Canada this May), its implications for Can-US negotiations on data-sharing, and why the rule of law threats unfolding in the US may soon become Canada's problem too. 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
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Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
In the "open secret" news category, Canada's 🇨🇦 Ontario Provincial Police have been using spyware, but not disclosing it to the public, and even burying legal cases to keep it secret! www.thestar.com/news/ontario...
thestar.com
Ontario police are using spyware that lets them remotely take over your smartphone. They’re fighting to keep almost everything about it secret
The police use of ODITs is so secret that police forces have signed agreements to drop serious criminal investigations rather than reveal the name of their vendor.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
“Meta’s workers are paying the price for management’s ⁠reckless and ​expensive bets. While executives chase speculative AI strategies,staff are facing ​devastating job cuts,draconian surveillance,and the cruel reality of being forced to train the inefficient systems being positioned to replace them”
reuters.com
Exclusive: Meta employees launch protest against mouse-tracking tech at US offices
Flyers at U.S. ‌offices ​encouraged staffers to sign an online petition against the move.
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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 15/05/2026
Detained in 2020 amid an arbitrary wave of arrests in Saudi Arabia, Osama Khalid's 14-year sentence was recently upheld. His "crime"? Sharing information online that conflicted with official narratives. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
EFF Launches New Offline Campaign for Saudi Wikipedian Osama Khalid
Osama Khalid was just twelve years old when he began contributing to Wikipedia Arabic. In the height of the blogging era, he became a prolific blogger, publishing writings on his home country of
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
ICE agents are walking around with a list of 20 million people to detain in their pockets because of this Palantir database: www.404media.co/ice-agents-h...
404media.co
ICE Agents Have List of 20 Million People on Their iPhones Thanks to Palantir
The comments made by a senior ICE official at a trade show highlight how Palantir is increasing the speed at which ICE operates. Most people detained by ICE have no criminal conviction.
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
“Inside the Double Life of a Syrian Hairdresser Accused of Torture in Assad’s Prisons:Five former detainees identified her as a feared guard at the al-Mazzeh Air Force Intelligence facility. @newlinesmag.bsky.social spoke with her parents, her neighbors and the survivors who found her”
newlinesmag.com
Inside the Double Life of a Syrian Hairdresser Accused of Torture in Assad's Prisons
Five former detainees identified her as a feared guard at the al-Mazzeh Air Force Intelligence facility. New Lines spoke with her parents, her neighbors and the survivors who found her
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
More about this historical moment by the great @debamos.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/debamos/...
open.substack.com
In The Room Where Hamza al Khateeb’s tortured body was displayed
On Sunday, the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus will resume one of the most consequential trials the interim government has attempted.
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Ron Deibert @rondeibert.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Assaults on press freedom continue to spread, the latest: El Salvador 🇸🇻 attacks on journalist organization El Faro...
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Cynthia Khoo @cyn-k.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
This whole thread is essential reading for anyone who has been following the news about #RightsCon, and especially if forming or sharing takes and thoughts about it:
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Noura Aljizawi @noura.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I just wrote a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social letter: Canada needs more tools for online protection, not less. Bill C-22 threatens the safety, livelihoods, and national security of all Canadians. If Bill C-22 passes, the result would be a disaster for us, our families &all Canadians. Write a letter👇🏼
internetsociety.org
Keep Canada Protected - Internet Society
The government claims Bill C-22's lawful access powers will help stop crime, but ‘just trust us’ isn’t enough to keep Canada safe online. Send a letter to your MP and ask them to reject Bill C-22.
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Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 29/04/2026
NSO is not alone. A number of other #spyware companies—including Paragon, Candiru & the Intellexa Alliance—have sought to influence government in recent years by hiring #lobbying, law & PR firms & other consultants. My latest for @techpolicypress.bsky.social. 👇 www.techpolicy.press/how-little-w...
techpolicy.press
How Little We Know About Spyware Makers' Government Ties
Commercial spyware vendors are hiring lobbyists, lawyers and PR firms to shape the policies that govern them, reports Vas Panagiotopoulos.
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