We are a grassroots security research team. We're a collective of hackers, technologists & security researchers working at the intersection of technology and human rights.
Our mission is to defend and support human rights defenders—particularly in East and Southeast Asia.
Spyware research that protects civil society and human rights defenders from surveillance is currently dominated by a small number of organizations with privileged access to information, closed-source tools, and opaque methodologies. The private sector, continue to encroach on our ability to respond. This creates high barriers to entry for local research labs, independent researchers, and responders—reinforcing unhealthy dependencies on Big Tech. These structural bottlenecks limit civil society’s capacity to detect, investigate, and respond to spyware threats at scale.
We exist to challenge that.
Our work fills critical gaps in spyware research, with the goal of enabling localized, decentralized, and public-interest threat labs to emerge around the world. For example, we specialize in threat research on Android devices—which make up over 72% of the global mobile market and are the dominant platforms across Asia, Latin America, and Africa.
We are experienced in conducting applied security research, penetration testing, and malware research (including reverse engineering and analysis), as well as threat intelligence research and hands-on incident response for at-risk communities. These capabilities directly inform our open methodologies and strengthen the defensive posture of partners on the ground.
Through open-source, community-driven tools and methodologies, we aim to decolonize and democratize security research—pushing for independence from private-sector dominance. We envision a world where civic-led, public-interest investigations & technologists can thrive, free from centralized control.
All of our tools are built in-house, ensuring full technological sovereignty, transparency, and trust. Nothing is outsourced. Nothing is proprietary. Our team builds everything themselves—for the people, by the people. But our work goes beyond technology. It’s more about accessibility. We feel that lowering the barriers to security research, digital forensics and investigation, we ensure that no journalist, activist, or human rights defender is left behind.
We collaborate closely with our sister organization, SecurityMatters, and work in partnership with groups such as the Open Culture Foundation, Centre for Digital Resilience, and the Open Technology Fund (OTF).