Key Findings This joint investigation with First Department, a legal assistance organization, found spyware covertly implanted on a phone returned to a Russian programmer accused of sending money to Ukraine after he was released from custody. He describes being subjected to beatings and an intense effort to recruit him as an informant for the Russian… Read more »
Building upon our prior research and the contributions of other scholars to this field, the aim of this novel study is to understand the security risks and harms caused by digital transnational repression against exiled and diaspora women human rights defenders.
We analyze the system Amazon deploys on the US “amazon.com” storefront to restrict shipments of certain products to specific regions. We found 17,050 products that Amazon restricted from being shipped to at least one world region. – While many of the shipping restrictions are related to regulations involving WiFi, car seats, and other heavily regulated product categories, the most common product category restricted by Amazon in our study was books.
This report performs the first public analysis of MMTLS, the main network protocol used by WeChat, an app with over one billion users. The report finds that MMTLS is a modified version of TLS, however some of the modifications have introduced cryptographic weaknesses.
The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, focusing on research and development at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security. Learn more.
In the latest episode of the Distilling Cyber Policy podcast, Alex Botting and Jen Ellis from the Center for Cybersecurity Policy & Law are joined by Rebekah Brown and John Scott-Railton, senior researchers at the Citizen Lab. Together, they discuss the Citizen Lab’s “Rivers of Phish” report on sophisticated phishing targeting Russia’s perceived adversaries. The report was a collaborative investigation with Access Now alongside civil society organizations First Department, Arjuna Team, and RESIDENT.ngo.
In order to pursue justice against spyware manufacturers such as the NSO Group and the governments that use this technology, victims must overcome significant legal challenges. Speaking with CyberScoop, John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, discusses the challenges surrounding litigation, U.S. laws, and jurisdictional issues for victims seeking remedies.
Kate Robertson, Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab provided a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Veterans Affairs, that contributes to the ongoing consideration of Bill C-26, which seeks to give the federal government the power to impose cybersecurity regulations on telecom and critical infrastructure providers in Canada.
Lex Gill, senior fellow at The Citizen Lab, delivered impactful comments to the Foreign Interference Commission at the public consultation hearing for the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions this October. She argues that concerns regarding foreign interference cannot be used to justify rights-infringing powers for Canada’s national security… Read more »
In the Election Misinformation episode of Big If True (TVO), Gabrielle Lim of the Citizen Lab delves deep into the impact misinformation and false narratives have on voter behaviour. Drawing from the elections in Indonesia and the Philippines, Lim sheds light on the demand for misinformation and why some people are more susceptible to false… Read more »
We are thrilled to announce that Kate Robertson, Lawyer and senior research associate at the Citizen Lab will deliver a keynote at the upcoming Access, Privacy, Security, and Information Management Conference (APSIM). In her keynote, titled “In the World of Privacy Regulation, What’s the Constitution got to do with it?” Kate will take a behind-the-scenes… Read more »
