I didn’t have -- than at a university? This was all in
the back of my mind when the Ford Foundation
reached out to see if I was interested in a project
on information tech and international security. So
I pitched the lab as “counterintelligence for global
civil society.” It was hubris at the time. I had no case
to make such a claim. But here we are many years
later, fulilling that role.
Q: What do you consider Citizen Lab’s greatest
contributions? And is it growing?
A: I think the greatest thing we’ve done is develop
a reputation for research that is highly credible,
methodical and unbiased. We go where the
evidence leads us and are beholden to no one.
I have been able to surround myself with very
talented, highly ethical people most of whom
could be earning 5-6 times more in the private
sector. We have about 25 full-time researchers
and a half dozen or so fellows or ailiates. We can’t
really grow much larger. We are a professor’s lab
and I need to do due diligence properly. So we
have to stay this size.
Q: We seem to be at a perilous digital juncture.
The experts say disinformation and cybercrime
are rampant and online safety is eroding. The
public is losing trust in digital systems. We seem
to need a Citizen Lab in every country. What are
your current challenges?
A: It seems to me, and a lot of people agree, the
world is heading into a pretty dark period, kind
of a worldwide descent into authoritarianism
coupled with all the maladies around social media,
Big Tech and artiicial intelligence. The challenges
grow and amplify, so we have no end of work.
Ever since Apple made those notiications, it’s like
we’re on a world tour of despotism (conirming