Targeted Threats
Investigations into the prevalence and impact of digital espionage operations against civil society groups. For our research on Digital Transnational Repression, visit this page to explore our reports, media mentions, and resources.
Featured in Targeted Threats
Digital Transnational Repression Explained
Citizen Lab produced an animated explainer video on digital transnational repression in Canada that also highlight some of the stories of the interviewees while also protecting their identities.
Latest Research
No Escape: The Weaponization of Gender for the Purposes of Digital Transnational Repression
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.
Disrupting COLDRIVER: U.S. court orders seizure of domains used in Russian cyberattacks
Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit takes legal action to dismantle Russia-based threat actor COLDRIVER following a joint investigation by The Citizen Lab and Access Now. In August, The Citizen Lab, jointly with Access Now, in collaboration with First Department, Arjuna Team, and RESIDENT.ngo, published a report that uncovered two distinct spear-phishing campaigns targeting members of Russian… Read more »
Gender-based digital transnational repression as a global authoritarian practice: Article by The Citizen Lab published in Globalizations
In a recent article published in the peer-reviewed journal Globalizations, The Citizen Lab’s Siena Anstis, senior legal researcher, and Émilie LaFlèche, former legal intern, examine how digital abuse against women exacerbates the sexism and patriarchal structures that exist in the physical world.
Locked In, Locked Out: How Data Breaches Shatter Refugees’ Safety
In an article published by the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, Citizen Lab senior researcher Noura Aljizawi discusses the leak of personal data of Syrian refugees in Türkiye and the severe impact on their lives.
Enhancing Cybersecurity and Resilience for Transnational Dissidents
Join The Citizen Lab and the UC Berkeley Centre for Long-Term Cybersecurity for a webinar where researchers Noura Al-Jizawi, Gözde Böcü, and Nicola Lawford will present their research, “Enhancing Cybersecurity Resilience for Transnational Dissidents.”