Citizen Lab

Research at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security

Citizen Lab research officer Adam Senft and Citizen Lab Director Ron Deibert working on a laptop.

The Citizen Lab

Founded by Professor Ron Deibert, The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, focusing on research, development, and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security.

The Citizen Lab uses a “mixed methods” approach to research combining practices from political science, law, computer science, and area studies. Their research includes: investigating digital espionage against civil society, documenting Internet filtering and other technologies and practices that impact freedom of expression online, analyzing privacy, security, and information controls of popular applications, and examining transparency and accountability mechanisms relevant to the relationship between corporations and state agencies regarding personal data and other surveillance activities.

Recent Research

Citizen Lab: You Move, They Follow
Citizen Lab
By Gary Miller, Noura Al-Jizawi, Ksenia Ermoshina, Marcus Michaelsen, Zoe Panday, Genny Plumptre, Adam Senft & Ron Deibert
NSO logo with two figures infront
Citizen Lab
By John Scott-Railton, Bill Marczak, Bahr Abdul Razzak, Siena Anstis, Paolo Nigro Herrero & Ron Deibert