Research News

Citizen Lab's latest research publications.

شركة كندية تحجب الانترنت في منطقة حرب لصالح جماعة متمردة يمنية خاضعة لعقوبات من الامم المتحدة

تقوم شركة فلترة محتوى انترنت كندية بحجب محتوى الانترنت خلال الصراع المسلح في اليمن بطلب من الجماعة المتمردة (الحوثيون) وذلك حسب تقرير جديد من مركز ستيزن لاب في جامعة تورونتو.

Beyond Privacy: Articulating the Broader Harms of Pervasive Mass Surveillance

Citizen Lab Postdoctoral Fellow Christopher Parsons published a paper titled “Beyond Privacy: Articulating the Broader Harms of Pervasive Mass Surveillance” in Media and Communication. The paper explores how dominant theories of privacy grapple with the pervasive mass surveillance activities undertaken by western signals intelligence activities, including those of the NSA, CSE, GCHQ, GCSB, and ASD.

Pay No Attention to the Server Behind the Proxy: Mapping FinFisher’s Continuing Proliferation

This post describes the results of Internet scanning we recently conducted to identify the users of FinFisher, a sophisticated and user-friendly spyware suite sold exclusively to governments. We devise a method for querying FinFisher’s “anonymizing proxies” to unmask the true location of the spyware’s master servers. Since the master servers are installed on the premises of FinFisher customers, tracing the servers allows us to identify which governments are likely using FinFisher. In some cases, we can trace the servers to specific entities inside a government by correlating our scan results with publicly available sources.

An Analysis of the International Code of Conduct for Information Security

As the United Nations General Assembly begins its milestone 70th session, international digital security is high on the agenda. One starting point for discussion is likely to be the International Code of Conduct for Information Security (the “Code”). This analysis explores how the Code has developed over time, impetus behind the changes made, and the potential impact of the Code on international human rights law and its application. It is accompanied by an interactive comparison of the 2015 and 2011 versions of the Code.

Researchers Find Major Security and Privacy Issues in Smart Sheriff Parental Monitoring Application

The Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto is releasing a new report, “Are the Kids Alright? Digital Risks to Minors from South Korea’s Smart Sheriff Application.” The report details results of two independent audits of the privacy and security of Smart Sheriff, a parental monitoring application that has been promoted by the South Korean government.