Ron Deibert

Founder of the Citizen Lab | Cybersecurity, AI & Democracy Speaker | Order of Canada Recipient

Ron Deibert is one of Canada’s most decorated public intellectuals working at the intersection of digital security, human rights, and democracy. As founder and director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, he has led over 180 ground-breaking investigations into government spyware, internet censorship, and digital repression — research that has directly informed G7 and UN resolutions and led to sanctions on spyware vendors. Appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022, Ron Deibert is also a bestselling author whose new book Chasing Shadows also has screenplay adaptation rights recently optioned.

“It is entirely unacceptable to allow tech platforms to experiment on billions of people for private gain with no meaningful restraint.” — Ron Deibert, Citizen Lab, January 2026

Keynote Speeches

AI Governance & the Public Interest

Ron Deibert is an active participant in Canada’s AI policy debate. In October 2025, he and Citizen Lab researchers signed an open letter to Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence rejecting the government’s “National Sprint” on AI strategy, and co-launched the People’s Consultation on AI to build a grassroots foundation for meaningful regulation. His talks on AI cover governance, platform accountability, disinformation, psychological operations, and the human rights implications of AI at scale.

Mercenary Spyware & Digital Espionage

Who is being targeted, how, and what organizations need to know about the commercial surveillance industry operating largely without restraint.

Social Media, Democracy & Mental Health

Themes from his CBC Massey Lectures and Reset, exploring surveillance capitalism, platform design, and their effects on individuals and institutions.

Cybersecurity from a Civil Society Lens

A perspective that goes beyond product pitches to address systemic threats to organizations, journalists, activists, and the public.

Digital Transnational Repression

The growing use of digital technology to surveil, harass, and intimidate people across borders, and what Canada and its institutions need to do about it.

Why Organizations Choose Ron Deibert

Most cybersecurity speakers come from industry and are, at some level, selling something. Ron Deibert’s perspective is fundamentally different — independent, evidence-based, and rooted in 25 years of frontline research into how surveillance technologies are actually being used against people and institutions. His talks are accessible without being dumbed down, and he draws directly from Citizen Lab investigations to ground abstract topics in vivid, real-world cases.

Comfortable in both TED-style format and fireside chat, Ron Deibert has shared stages with Edward Snowden and Washington Post journalist Ellen Nakashima, and delivered a keynote at Black Hat 2025 — one of the world’s largest cybersecurity gatherings.

Ideal for:

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Ron Deibert

Founder of the Citizen Lab | Cybersecurity, AI & Democracy Speaker | Order of Canada Recipient

Keynote Speeches

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“It is entirely unacceptable to allow tech platforms to experiment on billions of people for private gain with no meaningful restraint.” — Ron Deibert, Citizen Lab, January 2026

Why Organizations Choose Ron Deibert

Comfortable in both TED-style format and fireside chat, Ron Deibert has shared stages with Edward Snowden and Washington Post journalist Ellen Nakashima, and delivered a keynote at Black Hat 2025 — one of the world’s largest cybersecurity gatherings.

Ideal for:

Technology, cybersecurity, and information governance conferences

Government, legal, and policy-focused associations

Financial services and professional services firms navigating digital risk and AI governance

Leadership and HR forums on organizational trust, AI ethics, and institutional resilience

Associations serving journalism, communications, or public affairs professionals