CITIZEN LAB RESEARCH REPORT NO.151 25 Law Enforcement and Intelligence Services’ Response to Digital Transnational Repression Participants reached out to Canadian law enforcement bodies or the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency (CSIS) for assistance and had mixed reactions to these interactions.94 Participants appeared frustrated with the lack of governmental assistance and felt like they were forced to deal with digital transnational repression alone. They sometimes decided not to approach law enforcement because they thought doing so might make the situation worse, or they assumed law enforcement would simply be ineffective. For example, a Yemeni activist reported the swapping of their Canadian SIM card and the hacking of their bank account to the police, but they never received a reply. One participant from Hong Kong (previously identified as Li) raised the issue of digital transnational repression with high-level officials in the Canadian government, but she felt that there was no recognition or support for Canadians who faced such concerns. An activist from Balochistan spoke to both the police and CSIS but was left with the feeling that they had to address the issue alone. An activist from East Turkestan told the police that they were being harassed through repeated phone calls, but the police said they could not do anything because the calls were from an international number. Further, in response to the participant’s concerns regarding digital security issues on their advocacy blog, the police said the participant could hire a private detective. Participants simply avoided dealing with the police, fearing that it might make the situation worse or that they could not be of assistance. For example, after his business was the subject of extensive DDoS attacks, a Syrian business owner and activist (identified as Amir, below) stated that he did not reach out to the police because he assumed that the police would not be able to assist. A social and political activist from Afghanistan explained that they did not approach the police after being digitally targeted because they did not trust Canadian authorities. A pro-democracy activist from Hong Kong (previously identified as Li) said that she avoided approaching the police because it would have been “useless.” 94 The participant has been assigned a pseudonym to protect their identity.