The New Yorker: How democracies spy on their citizens
In an exclusive with New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow, Citizen Lab researchers reveal the presence of Pegasus spyware on the phones of 65 activists, politicians, and civil society groups in Catalonia.
In the Media
Citizen Lab staff and research in the news.
The Record: The rise of high-tech despotism
In an interview with Click Here, Citizen Lab research assistant Noura Al-Jizawi comments on her experience being targeted by surveillance technologies. She sheds light on how such technologies enhance oppressive regimes’ ability to order up “sophisticated subversion campaigns.”
Toronto Star: New report details how autocrats use the internet to harass and suppress activists in Canada
A report by the Citizen Lab sheds light on how digital technologies have strengthened the ability of authoritarian regimes to suppress the work of dissident advocates abroad. Relying on a series of interviews with targets in Canada, the report investigates the political, legal, and psychosocial elements of digital transnational repression.
Reuters: How a Saudi woman’s iPhone revealed hacking around the world
Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak discovered women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul’s phone had been hacked, unfolding several legal actions against the Israeli NSO Group.
New York Times: Security Flaws Seen in China’s Mandatory Olympics App for Athletes
Citizen Lab researchers find several encryption vulnerabilities on China’s mandatory app for Olympic athletes, MY2022.
The Washington Post: A UAE agency put Pegasus spyware on phone of Jamal Khashoggi’s wife months before his murder, new forensics show
Citizen Lab researchers were able to identify over a thousand web addresses used to deliver Pegasus spyware to the phones of targets in 45 countries. Pegasus, developed by Israel’s NSO Group, claims it is used against terrorists and criminals, but an analysis by Bill Marczak found evidence of Pegasus spyware on a phone belonging Jamal Khashoggi’s inner circle.
New York Times: I Was Hacked. The Spyware Used Against Me Makes Us All Vulnerable.
New York Times journalist and bureau chief, Ben Hubbard, discusses working with the Citizen Lab and discovering that he had been hacked several times by operators using NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.
The Globe and Mail: How Toronto’s Citizen Lab uncovered the hacking of Princess Haya
Citizen Lab fellow Bill Marczak comments on how he uncovered a Pegasus surveillance operation aimed at two lawyers and Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein.
New York Times: Hong Kong Forces Tiananmen Vigil Group to Delete Online Presence
The Hong Kong police recently forced one of the city’s most prominent activist groups to delete its online presence, in a move some fear means that Hong Kong’s digital spaces will move to more closely resemble the mainland.
Democracy Now: NSO Group Spies Secretly Seized Control of Apple Devices by Exploiting Flaw in Code
Ron Deibert joined Democracy Now to discuss how Citizen Lab research of a zero-click zero-day exploit—used by NSO Group—led Apple to issue a patch to over 1.65 billion products.