Tools & Resources

While the Citizen Lab is primarily focused on high-level academic research, we also produce accessible tools and educational resources to help everyone better navigate their online lives. Below are some of the latest projects that are aimed at making everyone safer online.

Access My Info

Access My Info is a project designed to understand what can be learned about company data practices by filing data access requests (DARs), seeking access to the requester’s personal information held by a company.

Net Alert

Understanding the technical and social contexts of digital threats can help users make better choices. Net Alert pairs rich visuals with everyday language to show how both higher risk groups and general audiences can protect themselves from some of the most common online attacks.

Security Planner

Security Planner is an easy-to-use guide with expert-reviewed advice for staying safer online.

Annotated Bibliographies

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Research report FAQs

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Online Resources

Communities at Risk

How do information controls impact different communities? Debates on Internet-enabled mass surveillance practices have increasingly dominated mainstream conversations, especially after the Snowden revelations. However, what is not as well documented is targeted surveillance operations against civil society that threaten their ability to hold governments accountable.

Events-based Controls

How do events on the ground impact information control online? The Internet has amplified citizens’ communication, allowing them to organize and mobilize for political or social causes. Major sporting events have been used to introduce security measures and justify surveillance capabilities that often have a lasting legacy in the countries or regions where this happens.

Internet Governance

How is the Internet governed? Questions like where and by who decisions on governing core aspects of the Internet are made are important to address in order to understand how the Internet is governed overall.