Siena Anstis

I have written a little bit more about the broader framework around digital transnational repression (or the regulation of dissident cyber espionage, more precisely) here & limitations faced by victims: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Second, we see the court accepting in no uncertain terms the expert statements offered by my colleague @billmarczak.org that Al-Masarir's phones were hacked with Pegasus spyware. The court combines this with other evidence (e.g., KSA's history of using spyware) to conclude the hacking occurred.

It's a victory for several reasons. Two big ones. First, the court actually considered the substance of the claims (versus a default judgment). We see the court connecting cross-border hacking to actual, substantive wrongs caused to Al-Masarir.

Even if Al-Masarir faces challenges in recovering the damages awarded, this decision is a big step in the right direction. State immunity & evidentiary thresholds are raised as barriers insulating state authorities from liability for acts of (digital) transnational repression. Both failed here.

This is the (I believe first) significant legal victory for a target of (digital) transnational repression. Al-Masarir argued that his iPhones were hacked by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and that he was assaulted in London by KSA agents. The court found in favor of Al-Masarir on both points.

Saudi dissident awarded $4.1 million by UK court for hacking, assault 'by Saudi Arabia' A Saudi human rights activist who accuses Saudi Arabia of targeting him with spyware and directing his assault on the streets of London was awarded just over 3 million pounds ($4.1 million) in damages...

Important development in the Al-Masarir case in the UK: www.reuters.com/world/uk/sau...

Job Opportunity: Citizen Lab Research Officer in the Area of Spyware and Digital Targeted Threats  - The Citizen Lab About us:

Are you a recent law graduate with an interest in law, tech, human rights, doing good...and not spending time counting those billable hours? The Citizen Lab is hiring a (law-related) research officer. 🤩

Civil society and access to justice: challenges of seeking remedy in the global fight against spyware States use mercenary spyware technology, such as NSO Group’s Pegasus, Paragon’s Graphite, and Cytrox’s Predator, to remotely and clandestinely infect the smartphones of members of civil society and...

New article out with Jillian Sprenger in the International Journal of Human Rights on civil society's efforts to seek a remedy in the context of states' abuse of mercenary spyware: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.....

The Complex Deportation Network Behind Trump’s Immigration Crackdown An analysis of data on every ICE arrest, detention stay and deportation reveals the complexity and reach of President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Inside the Deportation Machine www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Moving from secrecy to transparency in the offensive cyber capabilities sector: The case of dual-use technologies exports Transparency is central to the prevention of human rights abuses. Over the past few decades, a belief in transparency has permeated multiple industrie…

More transparency is a critical component that in theory should be relatively easy to implement. Along with @penney.bsky.social & Niamh Leonard, we argued that such transparency is critical to the system's functioning: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti....

Great report from @cdt.org on the failures of export control around spyware in the EU.

Elon Musk’s X Hit With $140 Million Fine in Europe

It is good to see enforcement of the EU Digital Services Act against X. We need more principled democratic governance of tech platforms, and penalties for non-compliance 1)

Elon Musk’s X Hit With $140 Million Fine in Europe www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/t...

Join us on Nov 26 to explore how gender, technology, and authoritarianism intersect to shape women’s participation in peace and security.

Get info & register: citizenlab.ca/2025/11/webi...

@amnesty.org @sheassociates.bsky.social @mmichae1sen.bsky.social @noura.bsky.social @sanstis.bsky.social

MEPs warn of increasing repression of human rights activists across borders | News | European Parliament On Thursday, Parliament urged the EU to tackle actions by authoritarian regimes to coerce, control or silence political opponents and other critical voices abroad.

Yesterday, MEPs voted in favor of the European Parliament's first report dedicated to the transnational repression of human rights, urging the EU to take action to protect against this activity. www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

Great essay by @nateschenkkan.bsky.social on the driving forces behind the "golden age" of transnational repression.

Digital transnational repression and the limits of international human rights law in a ‘post-territorial’ world Traditional models of jurisdiction fail dissidents in an ever more connected world

A few (early) thoughts on digital transnational repression and extraterritorial human rights obligations over at @bindinghook.bsky.social. Thanks for the opportunity to share my research (again!).

Spyware industry pockets EU subsidies while snooping on its citizens The widespread use of commercial spyware for unlawful surveillance across Europe has raised alarm – but the funding of such tools has largely gone under the radar. Follow the Money can reveal how mill...

Spyware industry pockets EU subsidies while snooping on its citizens www.ftm.eu/articles/spy...

Great work by @vaspanagiotopoulos.com showing how EU taxpayer money funds a surveillance industry that sells to authoritarian regimes abroad.

Opinion: Canada’s new Minister of AI must not be naive to its harms AI is not just being deployed to expand human understanding, but to systematically subvert it as well

"A tsunami of AI-enabled disinformation is already upon us, polluting the public sphere and seeping back into the language models that AI systems feed upon. What to do?"

My latest oped in @theglobeandmail.com 👇

www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

The final part of our AJIL Unbound series on reparations is now available online. Read "What Can International Law Repair?" now! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Discovery in U.S. Spyware Litigation: A Double-Edged Sword? Despite its inherent risks, civil society and policymakers can learn how to benefit from the discovery process in spyware cases.

www.justsecurity.org/118409/disco...

AlHathloul v. DarkMatter - Opinion and Order on Motion to Dismiss 151_opinion_and_order_2025-08-12.pdf

New positive development in the AlHathloul v. Dark Matter and others case with the court allowing the case to proceed despite lack of jurisdiction arguments made by the defendants: www.eff.org/document/alh...

Legal Frameworks for Addressing Spyware Harms Introducing a new series on accountability for spyware harms convened by the Atlantic Council in partnership with Just Security.

Looking forward to this series on accountability for spyware harms from Just Security: www.justsecurity.org/117335/legal...

Ron Deibert is absolutely the voice that the infosec industry needs to be listening to right now. We are in a moment where fascism is consolidating power and most of the infosec industry is either playing along or is busy bragging about how much AI they've shoved into their products.

Exclusive: Thai gallery removes China-focused artworks after 'pressure' from Beijing In what artists called the latest attempt by Beijing to silence critics overseas, the Bangkok Arts and Cultural Centre changed multiple works by artists in exile in the exhibit on authoritarian governments collaborating across borders.

beijing forces thai art gallery to shutdown an exhibition on transnational repression.

hey siri, what’s the definition of transnational repression?

www.reuters.com/world/china/...