Amnesty International’s Security Lab: Getting to Know How They Work With Civil Society on Spyware and Digital Surveillance
The Community Series features stories of the people and projects behind the digital rights community.
Molly Rose Freeman Cyr, Security Lab’s Training and Community Engagement Lead
Amnesty Tech’s Security Lab brings together a diverse team of researchers, hackers, coders, and advocates committed to protecting civil society from the growing threats of unlawful digital surveillance, spyware, and other technology-driven human rights abuses.
We talked with Molly Rose Freeman Cyr, their Training and Community Engagement Lead, to learn more about how they offer digital forensic analysis for human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and others at risk to uncover spyware and surveillance tools; their Digital Forensics Fellowship, and why we should be paying attention to how the private sector is starting to get involved in supporting civil society with digital forensic analysis.
How the Security Lab Started
Members of the Security Lab in the Frontline Defenders Dublin Platform, in October 2024.
Molly explains that Amnesty Tech was founded by Amnesty members who recognized the increasing power and the impact that technology was having on human rights.
Founded as an independent program in 2019, Amnesty Tech is the umbrella team for the Security Lab and its sister programs including Big Tech Accountability, Children and Youth Digital Rights, and the Algorithmic Accountability Lab. All are part of the Amnesty International ecosystem.
The Security Lab is renowned for its digital forensics work with civil society. This involves analyzing data from digital devices, such as computers or phones, to uncover traces of targeting by spyware or other forensic tools that are used to conduct unlawful surveillance. Ultimately, this research work is a critical part of the equation to protect civil society organizations and human rights defenders from digital threats.
“Amnesty Tech was built on the recognition that we cannot talk about human rights without also talking about technology and how it impacts human rights. The Security Lab was created to specifically investigate the sophisticated digital threats that civil society was facing, and to help civil society constructively confront those threats.”
#MakeItSafeOnline Campaign and the Digital Security Resource Hub
Molly explains they conduct both technical and qualitative research into the impact of sophisticated digital threats on civil society—especially during events like social demonstrations or arrests.
“We do advocacy and campaigns for more regulation around spyware globally. Research we publish, including recent reports such as Thailand: State-backed digital violence used to silence women and LGBTI activists and Uganda: Criminalization shrinks online civic space for LGBTQ people, shows how women and LGBTI communities are being subjected to an online onslaught of harassment. Following the reports, the #MakeItSafeOnline campaign launched to spread awareness about these issues,” she shares.
In addition, the Lab provides the Digital Security Resource Hub with resources in different languages, making it easier to identify accessible, up-to-date, and free advice and resources to support civil society.
“Thailand: State-backed digital violence used to silence women and LGBTI activists” and “Uganda: Criminalization shrinks online civic space for LGBTQ people” are reports that informed in 2024 how women and LGBTI communities are being subjected to an online onslaught of abusive speech. In addition to these researches, they launched the campaign #MakeItSafeOnline to spread awareness about this issue.
In addition, the Lab provides the Digital Security Resource Hub with resources in different languages, making it easier to identify accessible, up-to-date, and free advice and resources to support civil society.
Spyware and Surveillance Impactful Research
Security Lab provides free Digital Forensics analysis for human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and others at risk.
If you suspect your accounts or devices have been targeted by spyware, you can reach out through their support request form.
In 2021, they participated as a technical partner in the impactful investigation Forensic Methodology Report: How to Catch NSO Group’s Pegasus. It uncovered widespread, persistent, and ongoing unlawful surveillance and human rights abuses perpetrated using NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, which some governments and institutions purchase to deploy on people's mobile devices.
Spyware is a type of software designed to monitor and collect information from a target’s digital devices. It operates by secretly transmitting data, such as messages, browsing activity, or location from the device to the attacker’s system, without the user's knowledge or consent.
In 2023, the Security Lab released The Predator Files: Caught in the Net, revealing how a suite of highly invasive surveillance technologies supplied by the Intellexa alliance is being sold and transferred around the world with impunity. In December of 2024, they published “A Digital Prison: Surveillance and the Suppression of Civil Society in Serbia, which demonstrated how various tools, such as Cellebrite, are being used to surveil activist communities when more sophisticated spyware like Pegasus or Predator is not available.
The Security Lab’s Digital Forensics Fellowship
Security Lab is also committed to building the next generation of digital forensics experts through initiatives like the Digital Forensics Fellowship, which began in 2022.
In January 2025, the organization launched a new call for applications, with the deadline for submission being January 23. It will provide 5-7 individuals from around the world, who are human rights defenders, journalists, and/or technologists, to train with the Security Lab to build skills and knowledge on advanced digital threats and forensic investigation techniques. The Fellowship is expected to run from April to July 2025. Successful applicants will receive a stipend of £500 per month totaling £2,000.
“The fellowship has been a way for us to transmit and democratize the work in digital forensics research,” Molly highlights.
Human Rights-Centered Digital Forensics, Not-for-Profit
Molly cautions that in response to the growing demand for device analysis, some private companies have entered this field, offering their services to civil society and human rights defenders. However, these companies often lack transparency regarding their motivations, raising concerns about their methodology, data retention, and the handling of sensitive information.
"We must be cautious moving forward, ensuring that civil society concerns and human rights violations remain central to this work. Protecting civil society is the priority, not profit," she shares.
The Future of Digital Forensics Analysis
“The human rights civil society community has done a really good job at ringing the alarm bell when it comes to the threat of spyware. This has raised awareness among the public and civil society folks who could be targeted. So we have seen a concerted effort from big companies like Google and Apple to tackle spyware, protecting the devices, and with platforms and other products that they are building,” she shares.
However, she notes that companies behind surveillance products have quickly advanced their techniques in response to investigations from organizations like themselves, Access Now, or Citizen Lab.
“The rapidly evolving spyware landscape has meant that civil society has been forced to adapt and change detection and protection tactics. Looking ahead, we recognize that unlawful digital surveillance will continue to take new forms, and our goal is to stay on our toes and to continue to push the envelope in research and capacity building work to respond to the changing dynamics.” - Molly Cyr
As digital threats continue to evolve, the work of Amnesty Tech’s Security Lab is more critical than ever. For those passionate about safeguarding civil liberties in the digital age, there are many ways to get involved—supporting their research, sharing resources, or raising awareness with the hashtag #MakeItSafeOnline.