John Scott-Railton
John Scott-Railton is a researcher and advocate at Citizen Lab, an organization dedicated to studying and combating state-sponsored surveillance and cyber threats. He has been involved in investigations into the misuse of spyware technologies, including their effects on journalists and civil society. Recently, he commented on a spyware campaign that targeted various individuals, emphasizing the need for accountability in the spyware industry and the dangers posed by mercenary surveillance tools.
Not in the pool (under ¢1).
Recent news mentions
John Scott-Railton is a senior researcher at Citizen Lab who commented on the risks posed by government surveillance.
Kenyan authorities used Israeli tech to crack activist’s phone, report claims | Kenya
United Kingdom· 2026-02-17
John Scott-Railton, a researcher at Citizen Lab, warns about the dangers of Pegasus technology and its potential for abuse.
Бывший адвокат Трампа и голливудский продюсер берут под контроль израильского производителя шпионской программы Pegasus
Belarus· 2025-11-11
John Scott-Railton is a senior researcher at Citizen Lab who examined the devices of El Faro journalists for hacking.
We published explosive stories about the president of El Salvador. Now we can’t go home | El SalvadorUnited Kingdom· 2025-11-06
John Scott-Railton, a senior research at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, who is one of the world’s leading experts on cases in which spyware like Graphite has been abused by governments.
Ice obtains access to Israeli-made spyware that can hack phones and encrypted apps | Ice (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)United Kingdom· 2025-09-02
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, said he believed the Italian government was 'in a good position' to know whether the spyware had been used to target Pellegrino.
Second Italian journalist allegedly targeted with ‘mercenary spyware’ | ItalyUnited Kingdom· 2025-05-01
John Scott-Railton is another lead researcher at Citizen Lab who raised questions about the infrastructure of the Paragon spyware.
Index - Külföld - Újabb országokban fedezték fel a kémprogramot, amivel magyarokat is megfigyeltek
Hungary· 2025-03-23
John Scott-Railton, a senior Citizen Lab researcher, raised questions about the deployment of spyware.
Italian activist alerts ICC to spyware attack when in communication with court | ItalyUnited Kingdom· 2025-03-19
John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, expressed concern over the notifications of government-sponsored attacks.
Italian priest close to the pope was target of high-level surveillance, he reveals | SurveillanceUnited Kingdom· 2025-02-25
John was involved in the report on a New York Times journalist targeted by Saudi-linked Pegasus spyware.
New Spyware Has Made Your Phone Less Secure Than You Might Think
Canada· 2025-02-11
John Scott-Railton is associated with Citizen Lab and has collaborated with WhatsApp to investigate the spyware campaign.
La denuncia di WhatsApp: «Decine di giornalisti spiati sulla piattaforma». Tra questi l'italiano Cancellato di Fanpage
Italy· 2025-02-09