For Ronald Deibert, director of the Citizen Lab, travel is not a simple matter of booking a ticket; it is a meticulously planned exercise in minimizing exposure to state-level surveillance. In April 2025, when he traveled from his home base in Toronto, the necessity of operational security dictated a dramatic measure: he left every personal electronic device behind. Upon arrival in Illinois, his first stop was a suburban retail center, where he immediately procured a brand-new, sterile laptop and iPhone. This calculated ritual, known in high-risk circles as "burner travel," underscores the extraordinary threat landscape facing those who investigate digital repression. "I am traveling under the assumption that I am being watched," Deibert states, "right down to exactly where I am at any moment."
Deibert, 61, is the intellectual architect and driving force behind the Citizen Lab, a globally recognized research center established in 2001 at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Its mission is sharply defined: to act as "counterintelligence for civil society." Operating strictly outside the influence of governmental agencies, military contracts, or corporate mandates, the lab sustains itself through research grants and private philanthropy. This independence is not merely a philosophical stance; it is the structural cornerstone that enables the lab to conduct politically sensitive investigations into cyber-espionage and digital threats aimed at journalists, activists, and opposition figures—work that few, if any, government-funded or commercial entities are willing or able to undertake. The Citizen Lab has spent over two decades exposing some of the most egregious digital abuses perpetrated by state and non-state actors alike.
The Evolution of a Digital Watchdog
Deibert’s trajectory toward becoming a foremost authority on digital repression began far from the technical elite. Growing up in the countercultural milieu of East Vancouver, British Columbia, during the 1970s, his foundational respect for antiestablishment scrutiny was forged by seminal American investigative journalism—the disclosures surrounding COINTELPRO, the publication of the Pentagon Papers, and the revelations of Watergate. Coming from a working-class background where university attendance was uncommon, his academic aspirations were initially modest.
He eventually pursued graduate studies in international relations at the University of British Columbia, a field that led him inexorably toward the nascent internet. This was a critical juncture in academic inquiry. While computer science departments focused narrowly on technical infrastructure, often shunning political implications, and international relations scholars treated the internet as a shallow curiosity, Deibert saw a profound geopolitical shift occurring. He recognized that the network was not merely a tool for communication but a new domain of conflict, power projection, and governance. This multidisciplinary void—the nexus of technology, politics, and human rights—is precisely where the Citizen Lab was founded and flourished after Deibert secured a professorship at the University of Toronto.
The lab’s global visibility exploded with its groundbreaking 2009 report, "Tracking GhostNet." This investigation uncovered a sophisticated, China-based digital espionage network that had successfully infiltrated the computer systems of foreign embassies, ministries, and the private office of the Dalai Lama across more than 100 countries. This revelation, and a subsequent report in 2010, were landmark events, offering some of the first public, technical dissections of real-time, state-sponsored cyber-surveillance. Since then, the lab has produced more than 180 exhaustive analyses, earning accolades from global figures ranging from literary icon Margaret Atwood to whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Industry Implications and the Spyware Ecosystem
The Citizen Lab’s influence extends far beyond academic publishing; its research has repeatedly catalyzed global policy and industry reforms. Perhaps the most consequential work involved the rigorous tracking and exposure of the commercial spyware industry. The lab was the first institution to forensically link the use of specific commercial spyware—often licensed under the guise of counter-terrorism tools—to the surveillance of individuals close to the murdered Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
This investigation, alongside subsequent disclosures regarding the targeting of hundreds of journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders globally, fundamentally destabilized the secretive and lucrative spyware market. The Citizen Lab’s findings have directly informed G7 statements, underpinned United Nations resolutions concerning digital repression, and led to targeted sanctions by Western governments against specific spyware vendors. The resulting pressure has prompted some nations and technology companies to reassess their relationships with these suppliers, marking a rare instance where civil society research has demonstrably influenced the geopolitical balance of cyber power.
However, the threat remains fluid and complex. The global crackdown has forced the commercial surveillance industry to adapt, shifting focus toward domestic contracts within allied nations, often citing internal security needs. A stark example of this trend emerged in 2025 when US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reactivated a $2 million contract with the spyware vendor Paragon. This action, reversing a previous stop-work order issued by the Biden administration, mirrors similar deployments of domestic surveillance technology seen in certain European Union states and Israel.
This normalization of powerful, intrusive digital tools within established democracies presents a critical dilemma. As Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), notes, the Citizen Lab’s proactive focus on technical attacks against human rights and democracy activists worldwide has literally saved lives. Yet, the increasing adoption of these dual-use technologies by liberal democracies risks eroding the international norms the lab strives to protect.
The Erosion of Democratic Benchmarks
For decades, Deibert and his colleagues viewed the United States as the prevailing, if flawed, exemplar of constitutional democracy. That perception is undergoing a rapid and alarming transformation. Deibert now asserts that "The pillars of democracy are under assault in the United States," noting that the traditional norms of accountability and checks and balances are now severely compromised.
This concern is more than theoretical; it informed Deibert’s decision to undertake his high-risk trip to the US. While meeting with human rights defenders, he simultaneously documented the heightened surveillance environment at Columbia University during student protests, observing strict security protocols and the presence of drones monitoring campus activities. Deibert, who admits he "gravitates toward problems in the world," sought to be "in the mix" to directly observe the encroaching authoritarian practices.
His analysis suggests that the current political environment in the US creates a climate hostile to the very concept of independent accountability research. In September 2024, the defunding of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency—a government body designed to prevent waste and fraud within federal agencies—was cited as an example of systemic attacks on oversight mechanisms. Furthermore, explicit threats from the White House to withhold federal funding from universities that fail to comply with directives related to campus speech, diversity initiatives, or political alignment pose an existential threat to academic independence.
Deibert is unambiguous about the fragility of such research: "I do not believe that an institution like the Citizen Lab could exist right now in the United States." The pressures facing federal oversight bodies and academic institutions are undermining the critical infrastructure required for watchdogs to operate effectively and without fear of political retaliation.
The Culture of Digital Detectives
The effectiveness of the Citizen Lab hinges on its unique team structure, which prioritizes lived experience and investigative tenacity over traditional academic credentials. The lab’s researchers, affectionately known as "Labbers," often possess "brilliant, colorful personalities" and, crucially, sometimes carry personal histories of repression from the very regimes they now investigate.
This blend of technical skill and personal commitment creates a highly motivated environment for digital sleuthing. Deibert acknowledges the magnetic appeal of the work: "It’s detective work, and that can be highly intoxicating—even addictive." He is quick to credit senior researchers like Bill Marczak and John Scott-Railton, alongside the wider staff, for the lab’s successes, emphasizing a collaborative culture encapsulated in the mantra: "Once a Labber, always a Labber."
The research produced is often specialized and life-saving. Noura Aljizawi, a researcher who survived torture under the al-Assad regime in Syria, focuses her expertise on the distinct digital threats faced by women and queer people, especially exiled nationals. Her work has extended beyond technical reports into practical tools, co-creating Security Planner, which offers personalized, expert-reviewed guidance on digital hygiene to vulnerable populations worldwide.
Yet, this work carries significant personal risk. Citizen Lab fellow Elies Campo experienced direct retaliation following the publication of a 2022 report exposing the digital surveillance of dozens of Catalonian citizens and politicians, including four former presidents. Such incidents illustrate the dangerous confluence of state power and digital technology, where technical research translates instantly into political exposure, placing the researchers themselves in the crosshairs.
The Future of Accountability in a Fractured Digital World
The strategic location of the Citizen Lab in Toronto, geographically and institutionally shielded from the political turbulence increasingly characterizing the US and other major powers, is becoming its most vital asset. Cindy Cohn of the EFF emphasizes that the lab’s ability to operate "largely free of the things we’re seeing in the US" could be "tremendously important" for preserving the principles of human rights and the rule of law globally.
Looking ahead, the challenge for the Citizen Lab is escalating. The proliferation of sophisticated zero-click exploitation capabilities—which allow attackers to compromise a device without any user interaction—means that digital repression is becoming simultaneously invisible and ubiquitous. Nation-states are not only purchasing off-the-shelf tools but are also increasingly developing their own highly specialized capabilities, often obscured by complex corporate structures and national security secrecy.
The lab must continually innovate its methodology, moving beyond simple network traffic analysis to complex forensic analysis of operating system artifacts and device behavior to detect these advanced persistent threats (APTs). This requires not only highly specialized technical skill but also sustained philanthropic support, as the financial resources deployed by state actors and commercial spyware firms far outweigh the lab’s budget.
Deibert’s journey, from observing the political fallout of historical US surveillance to becoming a global authority combating modern digital oppression, highlights a profound shift in global power dynamics. As the infrastructure of democracy is challenged, independent academic institutions like the Citizen Lab are transforming from niche research centers into essential components of global civil defense. Their ongoing work in identifying, analyzing, and publicizing digital repression remains the most reliable mechanism for holding the architects of pervasive surveillance accountable, ensuring that the digital realm does not become an absolute territory for unchecked authoritarian control. The fight against the spies in the smartphone is, ultimately, the fight for fundamental democratic integrity.