Chasing Shadows

”[Chasing Shadows] will chill the blood of any journalist, human rights worker, or civil society activist. Or, come to think of it, any ordinary citizen who believes that criticizing your own government does not merit extra-judicial execution, and that private communications should remain private… an utterly gripping, petrifying read.” – The SpectatorPraise for Ronald J. Deibert“Chasing Shadows reads like a thriller and shines light in the dark places of hacking, intimidation, and espionage. In this spectacular book by one of the world’s most brave, ethical, and skilled researchers, Ron Deibert writes with authority but without ego and unveils his journey through the invisible world of spyware and spy craft in the most engaging way.” – MARIETJE SCHAAKE, author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley“A thrilling, terrifying, and, above all, true story of the shadowy industry that makes billions by exploiting defects in our most intimate, powerful devices, abetted by powerful autocrats and so-called democracies all around the world. Don’t let this give you nightmares: rather, let it inspire you to demand action!” – CORY DOCTOROW, author of Little Brother, The Internet Con, and Red Team Blues“Canada should be hugely proud of Ron Deibert and his outrageously smart team at Citizen Lab. The rest of the world should just be thankful–except, that is, the dictators, oligarchs, criminals, thugs, and those allegedly democratic governments that use the most intrusive spyware to snoop on, intimidate, troll, and even murder their opponents. Part memoir, part thriller, and part manifesto of hope, Chasing Shadows details how a small group of people committed to the truth has taken on the world’s most powerful and unscrupulous forces. My book of the year–Read it!” – MISHA GLENNY, multi-award-winning author of McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld and DarkMarket: Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You“Deibert has built a formidable team that functions as a kind of National Security Agency for civil society.” – The Guardian“Essential reading for all those interested in the digiverse, especially its underbelly!” – @MargaretAtwood on X“For almost a quarter of a century, Ron Deibert and his Citizen Lab team have been in the vanguard of the global struggle to protect the public internet from the schemes of criminals, autocrats, and spies. Deibert’s new account of the battle to expose and combat the powerful Pegasus spyware sold by the Israeli firm NSO reads like a cloak-and-dagger spy novel, complete with high drama and a rogue’s gallery of villains. Essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of the internet and the fate of freedom.” – DANIEL DEUDNEY, award-winning author of Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity“No one has done more than Ron Deibert and his Lab to expose the enemies of the internet–shadowy companies whose sole business is to make it unsafe for all of us. No one is better placed to explain the intersection of law and technology that makes these abuses possible–and how we can put an end to them.” – EDWARD SNOWDEN“With the pacing of a John le Carré thriller, the rigor of world-class journalism, and the seriousness of breakthrough science, Ron Deibert tells a little-known story that every citizen of the modern world needs to know about.” – JOHN PALFREY, President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Ronald J. Deibert is the founder and director of the Citizen Lab, a world-renowned digital security research center at the University of Toronto. The bestselling author of Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society and Black Code: Surveillance, Privacy, and the Dark Side of the Internet, he has also written many landmark articles and reports on espionage operations that infiltrated government and NGO computer networks. His team’s exposés of the spyware that attacks journalists and anti-corruption advocates around the world have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Financial Times, and other media. Deibert has received multiple honors for his cutting-edge work, and in 2022 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada–the country’s second-highest honor of merit.