CitizenLab.org
Self-portrait
The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, Canada focusing on advanced research and development at the intersection of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), human rights, and global security.
Our mission: We are a “hothouse” that combines the disciplines of political science, sociology, computer science, engineering, and graphic design. We undertake research that monitors, analyzes, and impacts the exercise of political power in cyberspace. The Citizen Lab accomplishes these goals through collaborative partnerships with leading edge research centres and individuals around the world and through a mixed methods approach that combines technical reconnaissance, field investigations, and data mining, analysis, and visualization.'
Description
The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary lab based at the Munk School of Global Affairs in the University of Toronto. Since 2001 it has focused on researching ICT’s, politics, human rights, security and governance. The project combines security and information technology techniques with field research, quantitative & qualitative methodologies common in social sciences, data analysis & visualization and legal analysis of public policies.
The Citizen Lab was a founding partner of the Information Warfare Monitor (2002-2012) and also developed the original design for Psiphon, a censorship circumvention software launched by a private Canadian corporation (Psiphon Inc.) in 2008. The Lab is also part of a research network that includes the Cyber Stewards Network, OpenNet Initiative, OpenNet Eurasia and Opennet.Asia with the goal of monitoring, analyzing and making an impact on the exercising of power in cyberspace.
The project has received financial support from: The Canada Centre for Global Security Studies, Donner Canadian Foundation, Ford FOundation, HIVOS, International Development Research Center (IDRC), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Oak Foundation, Open Society Foundation, Psiphon Inc., the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, Hyas, Palantir Technologies and Oculus Info Inc.
So far, the project has been given the following awards:
-2013 CLA Advancement of Intellectual Freedom in Canada award.
-2011 Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom’s Press Freedom award.
-2010 Canadian Journalists For Free Expression Vox Libera Award.
Most publications are available to download for free on their website.
Links
Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20160816042843/https://citizenlab.org/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Lab
