Counterintelligence for civil society
Investigating novel threats to democracy, human rights, and global security in the digital ecosystem.
(Un)forced Errors
Analysis of Proposed Surveillance Law Expansion under Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access
Law & PolicyThis submission analyzes Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, which would enact broad surveillance obligations and reforms in Canada. Issues include: the bill’s sweeping scope, significant constitutional and human rights risks, transparency and accountability deficits, and dangers to encryption and Canada’s cybersecurity. We recommend entirely withdrawing several elements of the bill and suggest amendments to mitigate harms.
June 2, 2026
Tall Tales
How Chinese Actors Use Impersonation and Stolen Narratives to Perpetuate Digital Transnational Repression
Digital Transnational RepressionTargeted SurveillanceIn 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
Bad Connection
Uncovering Global Telecom Exploitation by Covert Surveillance Actors
Targeted SurveillanceOur investigation uncovers two sophisticated telecom surveillance campaigns and, for the first time, links real-world attack traffic to mobile operator signalling infrastructure. The findings expose how suspected commercial surveillance vendors (CSVs) exploit the global telecom interconnect ecosystem, leverage private operator networks, and conduct covert location tracking operations that can persist undetected for years.
April 23, 2026
Counterintelligence for civil society
Investigating novel threats to democracy, human rights, and global security in the digital ecosystem.
Counterintelligence for civil society
Investigating novel threats to democracy, human rights, and global security in the digital ecosystem.
(Un)forced Errors
Analysis of Proposed Surveillance Law Expansion under Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access
Law & PolicyThis submission analyzes Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, which would enact broad surveillance obligations and reforms in Canada. Issues include: the bill’s sweeping scope, significant constitutional and human rights risks, transparency and accountability deficits, and dangers to encryption and Canada’s cybersecurity. We recommend entirely withdrawing several elements of the bill and suggest amendments to mitigate harms.
June 2, 2026
Read the full reportTall Tales
How Chinese Actors Use Impersonation and Stolen Narratives to Perpetuate Digital Transnational Repression
Digital Transnational RepressionTargeted SurveillanceIn 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
Read the full reportBad Connection
Uncovering Global Telecom Exploitation by Covert Surveillance Actors
Targeted SurveillanceOur investigation uncovers two sophisticated telecom surveillance campaigns and, for the first time, links real-world attack traffic to mobile operator signalling infrastructure. The findings expose how suspected commercial surveillance vendors (CSVs) exploit the global telecom interconnect ecosystem, leverage private operator networks, and conduct covert location tracking operations that can persist undetected for years.
April 23, 2026
Read the full reportThe Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary research unit at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto. We apply our collective expertise in the fields of law, computer science, cybersecurity, political science, and social sciences to investigate complex issues of the 21st century.
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Recent news
How Freedom Tech Is Pushing Back Against Digital Authoritarianism
Senior legal advisor Siena Anstis and senior researcher John Scott-Railton spoke with Forbes about the lagging safeguards that let spyware proliferate.
Spying Via Your Mobile Phone
Companies Can Locate Any Device at Any Time
Citizen Lab doctoral fellow Swantje Lange spoke with Tagesspiegel about the Lab’s recent research on telecom surveillance campaigns.
Canada Finally Has a National AI Strategy. Experts Hate It.
Senior fellow Cynthia Khoo writes that “pillars core to a functioning democracy are [being] reoriented around the false god of AI” in The Walrus.
Who Watches the Watchers?
Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert spoke to Politiken about the spyware industry, calling it “a symptom that something is fundamentally wrong.”