This "year of democracy," with more than 65 elections globally in 2024, will shed a harsh light on the governance structures for new and emerging technologies. Whether this mix of unilateral, multilateral, multistakeholder, and self-regulated systems is fit for purpose carries implications for human rights, sustainable development, and peace and conflict. Drawing on over a decade in digital rights advocacy from a civil society lens, Peter Micek will present context and insights on key campaigns, including on mercenary spyware, internet shutdowns, and artificial intelligence. Our discussion can lead students towards career paths and legal inquiries that assert a law-centered vision of responsive, participatory tech governance.
Peter Micek is General Counsel and UN Advocacy Manager at Access Now, based in New York City. Peter leads the Legal team at Access Now, an international organization that defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk. At the UN, Peter advances international norms and law on digital rights, including on privacy and spyware, censorship and internet shutdowns, and civic space. Peter is also Lecturer at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and an Affiliate of the Harvard University Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. He sits on the Advisory Board of the Univ. of Oklahoma College of Law’s Center for International Business and Human Rights, and formerly the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Cybersecurity. Peter completed a JD cum laude at the University of San Francisco School of Law, and in 2010 published "A Genealogy of Home Visits," critiquing surveillance of at-risk communities.
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Information Society Project, YJOLT