RESEARCH → FOCUS AREA

Targeted Surveillance

Investigating abusive surveillance against journalists, human rights defenders, activists, and civil society.

Around the globe, civil society is under threat from digital espionage and surveillance. Surveillance tactics are used to stifle freedoms and rights, undermine free speech, and erode democratic values.

Our research examines the abuse of surveillance technologies against civil society, including ‘zero-click’ spyware that can silently acquire total access to a phone, sophisticated phishing attacks to gain entry into email accounts, and the manipulation of telecommunication systems to track location data.

We work closely with communities under threat and peer research organizations to identify and disclose security vulnerabilities to tech companies, leading to improved online security for billions of users worldwide. We seek to educate and inform policymakers, courts, and the public about the threats from the proliferation of surveillance technologies.

LATEST RESEARCH

research → Report

Espionage Against the European Parliament

Member of Committee Investigating Spyware Hacked with Pegasus

We found that former Member of the European Parliament Stelios Kouloglou was hacked with Pegasus spyware while serving on the PEGA committee, which investigated Pegasus and other spyware abuses in Europe. Through forensic analysis of his device, we found that the attackers could have had access to confidential documents and committee deliberations.

July 3, 2026

Targeted Surveillance
research → Brief

Russia Breaks Into Human Rights Activist’s Phone With Cellebrite

We analyzed Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov’s phone, finding that Russian authorities used forensic extraction tools made by Cellebrite to gain access to his device. A document prepared by Russian authorities confirms that Cellebrite was used to extract information to aid in Pivovarov’s prosecution. Importantly, we found that authorities continued to use Cellebrite for political repression even after the company had cancelled its contracts with Russian customers.

June 25, 2026

Targeted Surveillance
research → Report

Tall Tales

How Chinese Actors Use Impersonation and Stolen Narratives to Perpetuate Digital Transnational Repression

In collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), we identified two distinct actors aligned with the People’s Republic of China that have been targeting and impersonating journalists and civil society. Our findings provide insight into the Chinese government’s practice of digital transnational repression and its shift to a system of state-sponsored attacks carried out by private contractors.

April 27, 2026

Digital Transnational Repression Targeted Surveillance