Chasing Shadows is a real-life spy thriller that exposes the hidden world of digital surveillance and the global impact of the Citizen Lab, a renowned research group at the University of Toronto. Led by a team of cybersecurity experts and founder/director Ronald J. Deibert, the Lab has uncovered dozens of cyber espionage operations that target journalists, human rights activists, and civil society groups worldwide.

In gripping detail, Deibert traces how the Citizen Lab evolved from a small university-based research project into a global leader in counterintelligence for civil society. From Guatemala to Washington, their investigations have exposed how authoritarian regimes use sophisticated spyware to monitor, intimidate, and silence dissent—often with devastating consequences.

One of the Lab’s most high-profile exposés involved the NSO Group and its Pegasus spyware, linked to domestic spying scandals across Europe and implicated in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. These findings have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Financial Times.

A chilling and urgent call to action, Chasing Shadows reveals a dark digital ecosystem plagued by insecurity, weak regulation, and rampant abuse—where oppressive regimes operate with impunity and the targets have little recourse. Deibert’s powerful storytelling makes clear that digital rights are human rights, and the fight for online freedom is among the most important battles of our time.

Margaret Atwood calls it “essential reading.”