Citizen Lab
University of Toronto research unit investigating digital surveillance and human rights
| Citizen Lab
| |
|---|---|
| Type | University research unit[1] |
| Founded | 2001[1] |
| Founder(s) | Ronald J. Deibert[1] |
| Location | University of Toronto, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy[1] |
| Key people | Ronald J. Deibert (founder and director)[2] |
| Website | citizenlab.ca |
Citizen Lab is a research unit at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Founded in 2001 by political scientist Ronald J. Deibert, it investigates the relationship between digital technologies, human rights and security.[1]
Its work includes investigations of commercial spyware, surveillance of civil society, internet censorship, app security and digital transnational repression. The laboratory combines legal, technical and social-scientific research, and works with people and communities facing digital threats.[1]
Organisation and research approach
Citizen Lab is an academic research unit within the University of Toronto. Its founder and director is Ronald J. Deibert, a professor of political science at the university.[1][2]
The laboratory describes its aim as providing 'counterintelligence to civil society' and advancing digital accountability research. It combines expertise in law, computer science, cybersecurity, political science and other social sciences, and collaborates with other research organisations and affected communities.[1]
Its stated areas of investigation include how governments use technology to censor and monitor civil society, the privacy and security of mobile apps, the adequacy of legal protections for digital rights, and vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure. It says it operates independently of government and corporate interests and evaluates the ethical and legal implications of its projects.[1]
Commercial spyware investigations
On 13 September 2021, Citizen Lab published its investigation of FORCEDENTRY, a previously unknown 'zero-click' exploit affecting Apple devices. The researchers said they discovered it while analysing the phone of a Saudi activist infected with NSO Group's Pegasus spyware. 'Zero-click' refers to an attack that does not require the target to click a link or otherwise interact with the malicious material.[3]
Citizen Lab reported that it forwarded the relevant files to Apple on 7 September 2021. Its account states that Apple confirmed a previously unknown vulnerability, assigned the identifier CVE-2021-30860 and released a patch on 13 September. The laboratory attributed the exploit to NSO Group on the basis of forensic artefacts and characteristics of the spyware installed on the device.[3]
The investigation illustrates the laboratory's combination of device analysis, attribution research and disclosure to a technology supplier. In its published findings, the laboratory distinguished evidence found on the device from its assessment that the exploit had been in use since at least February 2021.[3]
Funding
Citizen Lab identifies grants and donations from foundations, research bodies and other organisations as sources of financial support. Its funding page identifies the Ford Foundation as a supporter from 2001 onwards and lists the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Open Society Foundations as current supporters.[1]
| Award year | Amount (US dollars) | Award term | Stated purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $750,000 | Three years | Flexible support to Citizen Lab[4] |
| 2021 | $900,000 | Three years | Flexible support to Citizen Lab[4] |
| 2018 | $1,000,000 | Three years and seven months | Flexible support for research on digital power, human rights and security[4] |
The grants are listed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation under the University of Toronto's Munk School, and describe Citizen Lab as the supported programme. They are individual awards, not a statement of the laboratory's total annual income.[4]
Citizen Lab also names the Donner Canadian Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, HIVOS, Hopewell Fund, International Development Research Centre, Oak Foundation, Psiphon Inc, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation and #StartSmall among organisations that have provided financial support. The page does not give a single funding period or amount covering that list.[1]
The laboratory separately acknowledges in-kind donations of investigative tools from HYAS, VirusTotal and Cisco's AMP Threat Grid team. It directs individual financial donations through the university's fundraising system.[1]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Citizen Lab, Who We Are The Citizen Lab, undated, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Citizen Lab, People The Citizen Lab, undated, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Citizen Lab, FORCEDENTRY: NSO Group iMessage Zero-Click Exploit Captured in the Wild The Citizen Lab, 13 September 2021, accessed 6 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, University of Toronto, Munk School of Global Affairs MacArthur Foundation, accessed 6 November 2026.