Thu, February 11, 2021
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM EST
The Future of Internet Freedom: Policy and Priorities in the New Administration
About this Event Internet Freedom remains one of the most pressing human rights issues of the day, but controversies continue to swirl around its future – including questions about what lies ahead in terms of priorities, policies, and funding. Following the success of our first event in December 2020, focused on the “demand” for Internet Freedom, we will now explore its “supply” side—sources of funding both within and without the government and how to best prioritize these funds. Join this event to participate in a thought-provoking dialogue about the outlook for where priorities may change and how new policies and approaches under the Biden Administration may potentially impact efforts to open the Internet in every corner of the globe. With special remarks by Dr. Mung Chiang, John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering and Roscoe H. George Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; formerly the Science and Technology Adviser to the US Secretary of State Moderated by Eric Novotny and Aram Sinnreich, American University Meet our Speakers: MAZIAR BAHARI is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker, which includes Rosewater, an adaption of his family memoir, Then They Came for Me. He also heads Journalism for Change and the popular IranWire online news and information service DR. MUNG CHIANG— Dr. Chiang previously served as the sixth Science and Technology Adviser to the US Secretary of State. He is now the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering and the Roscoe H. George Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University and the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University. His textbook and online course “Networked Life” has reached 250,000 students since 2012, and his popular book “The Power of Networks” was published in 2016. HARLO HOLMES is Director of Digital Security at Freedom of the Press Foundation and Adjunct Professor at New York University. She was an active contributor to mobile security with The Guardian Project. MALLORY KNODEL is the Chief Technology Officer for the Center for Democracy & Technology. She is the co-chair of the Human Rights Protocol Considerations research group of the Internet Research Task Force and an advisor to the Freedom Online Coalition on emerging technologies and cybersecurity. As a public interest technologist she has used free software throughout her professional career and is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. She holds a BS in Physics and Mathematics and an MA in Science Education. SARAH MAKIN served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Strategic Engagement at the National Security Council. She also served as the first Senior Advisor for International Religious Freedom at the National Security Council, a position assigned to the NSC by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. During her time at the White House, Ms. Makin also served in a number of roles in the Office of the Vice President. Ms. Makin has worked on Capitol Hill, as well as in public affairs, and as an independent consultant for numerous national non-profit organizations. DR. ERIC NOVOTNY—Former Senior Adviser for Digital Media and Cyber Security at the US Department of State, presently Hurst Professorial Lecturer and Director of three graduate programs at The School of International Service, American University. He is also the founder of the SIS cyber security policy program. He teaches courses in cyber security methods and cyber threats. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center for Digital Resilience. DR. ARAM SINNREICH—Professor and Chair of the Communication Studies Division at American University’s School of Communication. He was also Director of the Media Innovation Laboratory at the OMD Ignition Factory and held positions at Jupiter Research and Radar Research. He is the author of several books on the intersection of culture, law and technology. He has also written for the New York Times and Wired magazine. Also a bassist and composer, he was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and has played with numerous progressive soul groups. CLARA TSAO is an internet activist and civic tech entrepreneur. Clara recently co-founded the Filecoin Foundation and the Trust & Safety Professional Association and the Trust & Safety Foundation. Clara is also a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab and the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy. Her previous roles include CTO at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Foreign Influence Task Force and the Interagency U.S. Countering Violent Extremism Task Force and Senior Advisor for Emerging Technology at the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency. She has spent a decade working in the technology industry across global teams at Microsoft, Apple, Sony PlayStation, AT&T, and also as a Google and Mozilla Technology Policy Fellow. Clara is also the Board Chair and President of the White House Presidential Innovation Fellows Foundation and a Senior Advisor at Tech Against Terrorism. Co-presented by: AU Internet Governance Lab AU School of Communication AU School of International Service Voices of Internet Freedom Internet Society, Washington DC Chapter
