Citizen Lab partners Ramy Raoof and Luis Fernando Garcia have been named Heroes of Human Rights by Access Now for their work uncovering invasive surveillance tactics. Raoof, who is a Citizen Lab Research Fellow and Senior Research Technologist for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, was recognized for his work on phishing attempts made against Egyptian NGOs; Garcia, who is Executive Director of R3d Mexico, was recognized for his efforts uncovering mass deployment of spyware technology in Mexico.
As Raoof says, “I am very glad with this award and consider it something for all our efforts. The recognition shed lights on the importance of investigative research and evidence-based production of knowledge when it comes to surveillance, privacy, and protecting human rights movements. It shows the crucial contribution of groups like Citizen Lab to the accumulation of open knowledge, and it’s a good reminder that resistance is possible and privacy could be reality.”
The fourth annual awards name Heroes and Villains around the world who have helped or hindered the advancement of human rights.