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Brett Solomon

Executive Director

Brett Solomon is the Executive Director and co-founder of Access Now, where he leads the organization’s fight to defend and extend the digital rights of users at risk around the world. He oversees the high-level strategy for Access Now’s programmatic portfolio, is responsible for the organization’s growth and operations, and heads up the global team numbering over a hundred staff. Brett has represented Access Now at numerous national and international fora, including at the United Nations and at Davos, and is often quoted in the media including in the New York Times and on the BBC. As a skilled and experienced advocate, he has been an important leader in several campaigns and coalitions at the intersection of human rights and new technology. He has given two TED Talks, on digital democracy and on the right to peaceful protest. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Data Policy and Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Internet. Brett is also the founder of RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, which every year convenes thousands of experts, activists, technologists, and leaders from government, the private sector, and civil society. Before Access Now, Brett honed his skills at a range of human rights and civil society organizations including Avaaz, GetUp, Oxfam Australia, and Amnesty International Australia. Brett has a Bachelors in Arts and Law from the University of Sydney and a Masters in International Law at the University of New South Wales.

LGBTQI communities: proud and secure online

21 Jun 2018

During Pride Month, we celebrate the many activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and community members who have helped to build a more equal and rights-respecting world, often at great personal sacrifice.

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LGBTQI communities: proud and secure online
21 Jun 2018
LGBTQI communities: proud and secure online
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Sonos pulls Facebook ads, invests in RightsCon instead… then Elon Musk takes note

23 Mar 2018

We’re grateful that Sonos has stepped forward to support our community and the important conversation on privacy and data protection, and we encourage other companies to do the same.

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Sonos pulls Facebook ads, invests in RightsCon instead… then Elon Musk takes note
23 Mar 2018
Sonos pulls Facebook ads, invests in RightsCon instead… then Elon Musk takes note

Taking a human rights agenda to Davos

22 Jan 2018

More than 3,000 global leaders are gathering to discuss the theme of building a “Shared Future in a Fractured World.” Human rights should be at the center of that shared vision.

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Taking a human rights agenda to Davos
22 Jan 2018
Taking a human rights agenda to Davos

Help shape the message we will take to leaders at the World Economic Forum

17 Jan 2018

How can we create a shared future?

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Help shape the message we will take to leaders at the World Economic Forum
17 Jan 2018
Help shape the message we will take to leaders at the World Economic Forum

Access Now statement on civil society exclusion from WTO meeting in Argentina

8 Dec 2017

The World Trade Organization must do further work to ensure that the host countries for its ministerial meetings provide more information about why accreditation is revoked, and a process for reply and remedy.

Press Release
Access Now statement on civil society exclusion from WTO meeting in Argentina
8 Dec 2017
Access Now statement on civil society exclusion from WTO meeting in Argentina

RightsCon dispatch: Five steps to a rights-respecting digital policy in Europe

31 Mar 2017

Access Now’s Brett Solomon details ways Europe can ensure that foreign policy supports digital rights.

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RightsCon dispatch: Five steps to a rights-respecting digital policy in Europe
31 Mar 2017
RightsCon dispatch: Five steps to a rights-respecting digital policy in Europe
CVE Online

Community and conduct at RightsCon Brussels 2017

23 Mar 2017

We want everyone to feel included and safe at RightsCon Brussels 2017. Here are the policies in place to support that goal.

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Community and conduct at RightsCon Brussels 2017
23 Mar 2017
Community and conduct at RightsCon Brussels 2017

Global perspectives on resisting populist authoritarianism

16 Feb 2017

Our global staff share their views about Trump and populism from around the world.

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Global perspectives on resisting populist authoritarianism
16 Feb 2017
Global perspectives on resisting populist authoritarianism
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Open letter to the next President of the United States

8 Sep 2016

Read our 10-point agenda in support of digital rights for the next President of the United States.

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Open letter to the next President of the United States
8 Sep 2016
Open letter to the next President of the United States
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Access Now Grants: our year in review and changes ahead

31 Aug 2016

We’ve awarded 34 grants and disbursed over $700,000 to support digital rights globally. Here’s a look at the details and what’s next.

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Access Now Grants: our year in review and changes ahead
31 Aug 2016
Access Now Grants: our year in review and changes ahead