Noura Aljizawi
@noura.bsky.social
Senior Researcher @Citizenlab.ca , UofT
Exploring the dark dimensions of digital power: authoritarianism, transnational repression & disinformation.
Exploring the dark dimensions of digital power: authoritarianism, transnational repression & disinformation.
Pinned
Noura Aljizawi
@noura.bsky.social
· Dec 2
1/
📢 New Report: No Escape: The Weaponization of Gender for the Purposes of Digital Transnational Repression.
We examine how gender shapes digital transnational repression—where governments target, suppress, and surveil activists across borders using digital tools
📖 citizenlab.ca/2024/12/the-...
📢 New Report: No Escape: The Weaponization of Gender for the Purposes of Digital Transnational Repression.
We examine how gender shapes digital transnational repression—where governments target, suppress, and surveil activists across borders using digital tools
📖 citizenlab.ca/2024/12/the-...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
this is a big and extremely dangerous deal. pegasus has been a tool of repression around the world.
is this the pivot to attacking american journalists, lawyers, civil society activists?
is this the pivot to attacking american journalists, lawyers, civil society activists?
UPDATE: NSO just hired former Trump ambassador to Israel.
They're trying to push Pegasus spyware to 🇺🇸America.
Your rights and freedoms are in danger.
NSO Group is no friend to the US & has spent years undermining our security & values 1/
They're trying to push Pegasus spyware to 🇺🇸America.
Your rights and freedoms are in danger.
NSO Group is no friend to the US & has spent years undermining our security & values 1/
November 9, 2025 at 10:14 PM
this is a big and extremely dangerous deal. pegasus has been a tool of repression around the world.
is this the pivot to attacking american journalists, lawyers, civil society activists?
is this the pivot to attacking american journalists, lawyers, civil society activists?
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Researchers at the Citizen Lab and director @rondeibert.bsky.social sign open letter to the Canadian Minister of AI and Minister of Industry rejecting the “National Sprint” on AI strategy.
Read it here: bccla.org/policy-submi...
Read it here: bccla.org/policy-submi...
OPEN LETTER to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation from civil society organizations and individuals opposing "National Sprint" consultation on AI strategy - BC Civil Liberti...
The Honourable Mélanie JolyMinister of IndustryHouse of CommonsOttawa, OntarioK1A 0A6 The Honourable Evan SolomonMinister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital InnovationHouse of CommonsOttawa, Ontar...
bccla.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Researchers at the Citizen Lab and director @rondeibert.bsky.social sign open letter to the Canadian Minister of AI and Minister of Industry rejecting the “National Sprint” on AI strategy.
Read it here: bccla.org/policy-submi...
Read it here: bccla.org/policy-submi...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Social media footage and satellite imagery show killings as Rapid Support Forces took over Al Fashir (El Fasher). Bellingcat geolocated one incident on the city’s outskirts and showed it to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
Geolocating Darfur Killings of Those Escaping Al Fashir - bellingcat
Warning: Contains written descriptions of extreme violence including murder. All graphic footage has been omitted. A Bellingcat investigation has identified and verified the exact location of a mass k...
www.bellingcat.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Social media footage and satellite imagery show killings as Rapid Support Forces took over Al Fashir (El Fasher). Bellingcat geolocated one incident on the city’s outskirts and showed it to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Along with numerous orgs and individuals, I have signed on to an Open Letter to the 🇨🇦 Minister of AI raising serious concerns about the government's approach to AI strategy.
Details are here 👇
bccla.org/policy-submi...
Details are here 👇
bccla.org/policy-submi...
OPEN LETTER to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation from civil society organizations and individuals opposing "National Sprint" consultation on AI strategy - BC Civil Liberti...
The Honourable Mélanie JolyMinister of IndustryHouse of CommonsOttawa, OntarioK1A 0A6 The Honourable Evan SolomonMinister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital InnovationHouse of CommonsOttawa, Ontar...
bccla.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Along with numerous orgs and individuals, I have signed on to an Open Letter to the 🇨🇦 Minister of AI raising serious concerns about the government's approach to AI strategy.
Details are here 👇
bccla.org/policy-submi...
Details are here 👇
bccla.org/policy-submi...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
New from 404 Media: you can't refuse to be scanned by ICE's new facial recognition app, according to internal DHS document I obtained. Photos captured by the app are stored for 15 years, including U.S. citizens. We've seen officers scanning faces w/ phones on streets
www.404media.co/you-cant-ref...
www.404media.co/you-cant-ref...
You Can't Refuse To Be Scanned by ICE's Facial Recognition App, DHS Document Says
Photos captured by Mobile Fortify will be stored for 15 years, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, the document says.
www.404media.co
October 31, 2025 at 1:49 PM
New from 404 Media: you can't refuse to be scanned by ICE's new facial recognition app, according to internal DHS document I obtained. Photos captured by the app are stored for 15 years, including U.S. citizens. We've seen officers scanning faces w/ phones on streets
www.404media.co/you-cant-ref...
www.404media.co/you-cant-ref...
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces issued a statement after photos of Syrian diplomats’ late-September visit were leaked online. The images spread quickly, exposing individuals’ private data and raising serious privacy concerns.
isf.gov.lb/ar/news/%D9%...
isf.gov.lb/ar/news/%D9%...
قوى الأمن توضح ما تم تناقله على مواقع التواصل الإجتماعي حول تسريب صور لجوازات سفر وفد دبلوماسي من الجمهورية العربية السورية
صــدر عـن المديـــريـّـــة العامّــــة لقــــوى الأمــــن الداخلـــــي ـ شعبة العـــلاقـات العامّــــة
البـــلاغ التّــالـــــــــــي:
تناقلت في الآونة الأخيرة مواقع التّواصل الاجتماعي خبرًا يتعلّق
isf.gov.lb
October 22, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces issued a statement after photos of Syrian diplomats’ late-September visit were leaked online. The images spread quickly, exposing individuals’ private data and raising serious privacy concerns.
isf.gov.lb/ar/news/%D9%...
isf.gov.lb/ar/news/%D9%...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
We at EFF hate it when a certain kind of contract—you know the ones, where you hit accept after scrolling for ages just so you can use the app—is used to constrain users’ rights. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Fair Use Protects Everyone—Even the Disney Corporation
Jimmy Kimmel has been in the news a lot recently, which means the ongoing lawsuit against him by perennial late night punching bag/convicted fraudster/former congressman George Santos flew under the
www.eff.org
October 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
We at EFF hate it when a certain kind of contract—you know the ones, where you hit accept after scrolling for ages just so you can use the app—is used to constrain users’ rights. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
AI is learning disinfo. A fake quote about Hamas spread on X… and now Google’s Gemini is repeating it as fact.
From rumour → news → “AI truth.”
Read how it happened
How Google’s Gemini AI is Learning Pro-Israel Disinformation From Social Media
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
#Dysinfluence
From rumour → news → “AI truth.”
Read how it happened
How Google’s Gemini AI is Learning Pro-Israel Disinformation From Social Media
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
#Dysinfluence
How Google's Gemini AI is Learning Pro-Israel Disinformation From Social Media
A fake quote attributed to Hamas official Khalil Al Hayya is being regurgitated by Gemini AI
open.substack.com
October 16, 2025 at 10:33 AM
AI is learning disinfo. A fake quote about Hamas spread on X… and now Google’s Gemini is repeating it as fact.
From rumour → news → “AI truth.”
Read how it happened
How Google’s Gemini AI is Learning Pro-Israel Disinformation From Social Media
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
#Dysinfluence
From rumour → news → “AI truth.”
Read how it happened
How Google’s Gemini AI is Learning Pro-Israel Disinformation From Social Media
open.substack.com/pub/marcowen...
#Dysinfluence
"The Vanishing Act: How Assad’s Top Henchmen Fled Syria, and Justice.
As Syria’s regime collapsed, the world’s eyes were on Bashar al-Assad’s getaway flight. Behind him, officials key to his brutal rule made a mass exodus, virtually undetected." #Syria #Justice
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/w...
As Syria’s regime collapsed, the world’s eyes were on Bashar al-Assad’s getaway flight. Behind him, officials key to his brutal rule made a mass exodus, virtually undetected." #Syria #Justice
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/w...
The Vanishing Act: How Assad’s Top Henchmen Fled Syria, and Justice
www.nytimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:40 PM
"The Vanishing Act: How Assad’s Top Henchmen Fled Syria, and Justice.
As Syria’s regime collapsed, the world’s eyes were on Bashar al-Assad’s getaway flight. Behind him, officials key to his brutal rule made a mass exodus, virtually undetected." #Syria #Justice
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/w...
As Syria’s regime collapsed, the world’s eyes were on Bashar al-Assad’s getaway flight. Behind him, officials key to his brutal rule made a mass exodus, virtually undetected." #Syria #Justice
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/w...
Important piece by @nateschenkkan.bsky.social on how the US deportations of Russian and Iranian dissidents mark a shift from combating to enabling transnational repression. #TransnationalRepression #TNR
New from me in @foreignpolicy.com: how the US has gone from leading a global push against transnational repression, to proactively supporting it:
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/t...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/t...
Trump Is Supporting Transnational Repression
Instead of sheltering pro-democracy dissidents, America is now returning them for arrest.
foreignpolicy.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Important piece by @nateschenkkan.bsky.social on how the US deportations of Russian and Iranian dissidents mark a shift from combating to enabling transnational repression. #TransnationalRepression #TNR
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
NEW: breach of Discord age verification data.
Including some users passports & DLs
Age verification is a badly implemented data grab wrapped in a moral panic.
Mark my words, as age verification mandates expand, we'll end up more surveilled and less secure. 1/
Including some users passports & DLs
Age verification is a badly implemented data grab wrapped in a moral panic.
Mark my words, as age verification mandates expand, we'll end up more surveilled and less secure. 1/
October 5, 2025 at 4:51 PM
NEW: breach of Discord age verification data.
Including some users passports & DLs
Age verification is a badly implemented data grab wrapped in a moral panic.
Mark my words, as age verification mandates expand, we'll end up more surveilled and less secure. 1/
Including some users passports & DLs
Age verification is a badly implemented data grab wrapped in a moral panic.
Mark my words, as age verification mandates expand, we'll end up more surveilled and less secure. 1/
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
New investigation. "Nobody Talks Like This: Meet 50 AI-Powered Propaganda Accounts in Sudan's Social Media War"
How 50 AI-generated accounts are flooding Twitter with pro-UAE and anti-Muslim (Brotherhood) propaganda on Sudan's civil war
marcowenjones.substack.com/p/nobody-tal... #disinformation
How 50 AI-generated accounts are flooding Twitter with pro-UAE and anti-Muslim (Brotherhood) propaganda on Sudan's civil war
marcowenjones.substack.com/p/nobody-tal... #disinformation
October 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
New investigation. "Nobody Talks Like This: Meet 50 AI-Powered Propaganda Accounts in Sudan's Social Media War"
How 50 AI-generated accounts are flooding Twitter with pro-UAE and anti-Muslim (Brotherhood) propaganda on Sudan's civil war
marcowenjones.substack.com/p/nobody-tal... #disinformation
How 50 AI-generated accounts are flooding Twitter with pro-UAE and anti-Muslim (Brotherhood) propaganda on Sudan's civil war
marcowenjones.substack.com/p/nobody-tal... #disinformation
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
UPDATE: ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron asked Apple to reinstate the app after the company removed it from the app store under pressure from AG Bondi... www.cnbc.com/2025/10/03/a...
Creator of ICE agent tracking app asks Apple to rescind ban from online store
Joshua Aaron has said he created ICEBlock after seeing the Trump administration's deportation efforts, which he said evoked events in Nazi Germany.
www.cnbc.com
October 3, 2025 at 10:15 PM
UPDATE: ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron asked Apple to reinstate the app after the company removed it from the app store under pressure from AG Bondi... www.cnbc.com/2025/10/03/a...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
I wanted to share some of the sources and inspirations for my new @jodemocracy.bsky.social essay this week on transnational repression. Like with anything, there are citations but then there's also stuff that doesn't make it into the piece
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
The Golden Age of Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
October 3, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I wanted to share some of the sources and inspirations for my new @jodemocracy.bsky.social essay this week on transnational repression. Like with anything, there are citations but then there's also stuff that doesn't make it into the piece
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
so the US government just forced a tech company to delete an app it doesn’t like, which is totally normal stuff
www.404media.co/iceblock-own...
www.404media.co/iceblock-own...
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never t...
www.404media.co
October 3, 2025 at 2:38 AM
so the US government just forced a tech company to delete an app it doesn’t like, which is totally normal stuff
www.404media.co/iceblock-own...
www.404media.co/iceblock-own...
Read @nateschenkkan.bsky.social excellent essay on The Golden Age of Transnational Repression.
New today: my essay in @jodemocracy.bsky.social on The Golden Age of Transnational Repression: www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
The Golden Age of Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
October 2, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Read @nateschenkkan.bsky.social excellent essay on The Golden Age of Transnational Repression.
Wir werden nicht vergessen: Am 2. Oktober 2018 wurde der saudi-arabische Journalist Jamal #Khashoggi im Konsulat seines Heimatlandes in Istanbul grausam ermordet. Wir haben im Frühjahr 2021 Strafanzeige eingereicht, weil wir davon überzeugt sind: www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/saudi-arabie... [1/2]
October 2, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians. The Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians
Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project
www.theguardian.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians. The Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
"Facebook video of CN Tower on fire should have AI-generated content label, experts say. No fire happened and video is a deepfake, CN Tower says." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
A video of the CN Tower on fire went viral on Facebook. The problem? It's fake | CBC News
A fake video of the CN Tower on fire went viral on Facebook this week and experts say it's another example of why social media platforms need to clearly mark AI-generated content.
www.cbc.ca
September 25, 2025 at 12:19 PM
"Facebook video of CN Tower on fire should have AI-generated content label, experts say. No fire happened and video is a deepfake, CN Tower says." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Why Feminists Must Defend Encryption
internet.exchangepoint.tech/why-feminist...
internet.exchangepoint.tech/why-feminist...
Why Feminists Must Defend Encryption
The debate over encryption is often reduced to a false choice between online safety and privacy, but the reality is far more complex.
internet.exchangepoint.tech
September 22, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Why Feminists Must Defend Encryption
internet.exchangepoint.tech/why-feminist...
internet.exchangepoint.tech/why-feminist...
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
Author copies for
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
September 15, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Author copies for
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
Dictating the Agenda: The Authoritarian Resurgence in World Politics
by me & @cooleyoneurasia.bsky.social arrived today!
If you re-post this by Sept 30 we'll put you in a drawing & send the winner a free signed copy anywhere they happen to be on the planet.
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
This covers well the damage of what’s happening, and I’ll add: people outside this ecosystem underestimate how much information it produces that others rely on for their knowledge of world affairs
"On August 29, the State Department leadership notified staff that it was terminating more than two dozen agreements...designed to create common language and tactics to push back against Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and terrorist influence campaigns overseas..."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
America Surrenders in the Global Information Wars
The U.S. is reorienting its foreign policy to protect governments that manipulate and suppress information.
www.theatlantic.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:58 PM
This covers well the damage of what’s happening, and I’ll add: people outside this ecosystem underestimate how much information it produces that others rely on for their knowledge of world affairs
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is statutorily responsible for looking after the best interests of unaccompanied migrant children, has been giving immigration judges lists of kids who are “amenable” to voluntary departure, even though they aren’t
September 9, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is statutorily responsible for looking after the best interests of unaccompanied migrant children, has been giving immigration judges lists of kids who are “amenable” to voluntary departure, even though they aren’t
Reposted by Noura Aljizawi
"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...
My latest oped in @theglobeandmail.com 👇
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
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
www.theglobeandmail.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:40 PM
"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...
My latest oped in @theglobeandmail.com 👇
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...