Maia Scott is a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab. Her work focuses on disinformation, covert information operations, and open source intelligence collection. Her most recent publication, in collaboration with colleagues Alberto Fittarelli and Marcus Michaelsen, uncovered a coordinated AI campaign attempting to incite Iranians to revolt against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Publications
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.
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.
Not Safe for Politics
Cellebrite Used on Kenyan Activist and Politician Boniface Mwangi
Following the widely-condemned arrest in July 2025 of prominent Kenyan opposition voice Boniface Mwangi, the Citizen Lab analyzed artefacts from devices seized during the arrest. We found that Cellebrite’s forensic extraction tools were used on his Samsung phone while it was in police custody. This case adds to the concerning pattern of the misuse of Cellebrite technology by government clients.
