Future Knowledge Privacy's Defender
Mar 11, 2026
Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and longtime civil liberties lawyer, reflects on landmark crypto and surveillance fights. She recounts early encryption litigation, AT&T revelations, and how the Patriot Act reshaped surveillance. The conversation highlights corporate and government roles in privacy threats and practical ways people can defend digital rights.
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How Cindy Secured A CC License For Her Book
- Cindy Cohn nearly abandoned Creative Commons licensing until a conversation with Brewster Kale pushed her to seek an accommodating publisher.
- She negotiated with MIT Press for a one-year traditional license then automatic Creative Commons release to align with her values.
Privacy As A Check On Power
- Cindy reframes privacy as a political check on power, not merely secrecy for wrongdoing.
- She argues privacy enables self-governance and protects vulnerable people from more powerful actors like governments or household abusers.
When Corporate And Government Surveillance Merge
- Corporate surveillance and government spying amplify each other; the surveillance business model enables state overreach.
- Cindy warns mixing corporate data collection with government access creates a more toxic threat to civil liberties.
