In many countries, laws against cybercrime are being weaponized to repress journalism. Speaking to the Columbia Journalism Review, Citizen Lab doctoral fellow Gabrielle Lim warns that democratic countries passing similar laws could provide cover to repressive authoritarian regimes.  “Unfortunately, most of the laws being passed will have little effect in actually curbing misinformation, but instead… Read more »

Canada’s Bill C-8 (formerly Bill C-26) is proposed cybersecurity legislation that would introduce broad information collection and sharing powers, including the warrantless collection of information from telecommunication providers, and could also undermine encryption and communications security. In a brief submitted by the Citizen Lab to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU)… Read more »

In an interview with What Bitcoin Did, Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton discusses the proliferation of spyware and the repercussions of its use on victims. He explains how mass surveillance “ultimately leads to self-censorship,” with significant implications for our freedom. Watch here.

A new U.K. age-verification law aimed to protect children can push people to seedier parts of the web. Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton spoke with the Washington Post about the “law of unintended consequences” faced by regulators.  The law “suppresses traffic to compliant platforms while driving users to sites without age verification,” says Scott-Railton…. Read more »

Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton confirms that FlexiSPY spyware was installed on two Kenyan filmmakers’ phones while the devices were in police custody. 

Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert’s new op-ed in the Globe and Mail argues that AI should be subject to more regulation, not less.

The Information Security Program Manager will be responsible for providing strategic leadership to develop and implement Information Security Programs for the Citizen Lab as well as other units at the University. Apply by September 30, 2025.

Join Citizen Lab founder and director Ron Deibert for a screening of the 1981 film “Blow Out” hosted by the Great Escape Bookstore.

Transnational repression is a serious threat to human rights.  Over the past decade, the Citizen Lab has published numerous reports examining transnational repression (TNR) across the globe, focusing specifically on its digital forms.  In response to increasing accounts of foreign governments reaching across borders to harass and silence people in the United Kingdom, the UK’s… Read more »

Join the Citizen Lab’s Noura Aljizawi, Gabrielle Lim, and Jon Penney at the American Political Science Association 2025 annual meeting for their presentation of “The Three Faces of Transnational Repression.”