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Cindy Cohn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cindy Cohn
Cohn smiling to the camera
Cindy Cohn photographed in Berkeley, California, in 2014
Born1963 or 1964 (age 61–62)
United States
EducationBachelor of Arts/Science, The University of Iowa
Doctor of Jurisprudence, University of Michigan
London School of Economics

Cindy Cohn (born 1964 or 1965[1]) is an American civil liberties attorney specializing in Internet law. She has served as executive director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) since 2015. Cohn represented Daniel J. Bernstein and the EFF in Bernstein v. United States.

Early life and education

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Cohn earned an undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa and the London School of Economics, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Michigan.[2]

Law career

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In 1997, Cohn was recognized by California Lawyer Magazine as one of the "Lawyers of the Year" for her work. After serving for 15 years as legal director and general counsel[3] for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, she became its executive director in 2015.[4][5]

Some of Cohn's other significant cases include Hepting v. AT&T (class action against AT&T for collaborating with the National Security Agency program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications), In re Sony BMG Tech. litigation (class action against Sony BMG for placing dangerous digital rights management (DRM) on customers' computers), OPG v. Diebold (Diebold was held liable for sending out unfounded cease and desist notices to internet service providers (ISPs) in an effort to stop public discussion of the flaws in its electronic voting machines), and DVD CCA v. Bunner[6] (representing Andrew Bunner against the DVD Copy Control Association defending his right to republish a computer program that he found republished elsewhere on the Internet).[7]

In addition to EFF, Cohn has also served on the boards of directors of the nonprofit organizations Human Rights Advocates [citation needed] and the Verified Voting Foundation.[8]

In September 2025, Cohn announced that she would be stepping down as EFF executive director by mid-2026.[1][9] In March 2026, Nicole Ozer was announced as her successor, effective June 1.[10][11]

Writings

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  • "The Whistleblower Who Uncovered the NSA's 'Big Brother Machine'"; The MIT Press Reader, April 30, 2026.
  • Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance; MIT Press, 2026. ISBN 9780262051248

Awards and honors

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In 2006, Cohn was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. In November 2018, she was featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Executive Director Cindy Cohn Will Step Down After 25 Years with EFF". Electronic Frontier Foundation. September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  2. ^ "Cindy Cohn". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  3. ^ "Cindy Cohn". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Cindy Cohn to become EFF's new executive director in 2015". Electronic Frontier Foundation. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Cindy Cohn". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  6. ^ Electronic Frontier Foundation (September 2005). "DVD-CCA v. Bunner and DVD-CCA v. Pavlovich". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 July 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  7. ^ Premo, Eugene M. (27 February 2004). "DVD Copy Control Ass'n Inc. v. Bunner". p. 185.
  8. ^ "Who We Are". Verified Voting. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  9. ^ Cameron, Dell (September 9, 2025). "Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights". Wired. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  10. ^ "Nicole Ozer Named as Electronic Frontier Foundation's Executive Director". Electronic Frontier Foundation. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  11. ^ Belanger, Ashley (March 24, 2026). "Electronic Frontier Foundation to swap leaders as AI, ICE fights escalate". ArsTechnica. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  12. ^ "Cindy Cohn". Forbes.
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