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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.

24 hours at Access Now: a tour through our everyday work

28 Jul 2016

What does it mean to fight for digital rights in the real world? Here is a “typical” 24 hours at Access Now.

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24 hours at Access Now: a tour through our everyday work
28 Jul 2016
24 hours at Access Now: a tour through our everyday work
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Strengthening our engagement at the U.N.

2 Jun 2016

After we spent years applying for accreditation at the United Nations, the NGO Committee granted our request. It should now do the same for other groups, and reform the process.

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Strengthening our engagement at the U.N.
2 Jun 2016
Strengthening our engagement at the U.N.

Connectivity must include rights

22 Apr 2016

The Global Connect Initiative to connect 1.5 billion to the internet by 2020 must bake in human rights by design, says Access Now’s Brett Solomon.

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Connectivity must include rights
22 Apr 2016
Connectivity must include rights
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Five predictions for digital rights in 2016

22 Jan 2016

Here are our predictions for trends in digital rights in 2016 — including information about how you can get involved in the fight to defend those rights.

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Five predictions for digital rights in 2016
22 Jan 2016
Five predictions for digital rights in 2016
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Tor under threat in France

11 Dec 2015

Why banning Tor is a terrible idea for human rights and privacy.

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Tor under threat in France
11 Dec 2015
Tor under threat in France

SPECTRE-style surveillance is real, and we need real-life heroes to fight it

3 Dec 2015

The surveillance depicted in the latest James Bond film is all too real — but who’s our James Bond?

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SPECTRE-style surveillance is real, and we need real-life heroes to fight it
3 Dec 2015
SPECTRE-style surveillance is real, and we need real-life heroes to fight it
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RightsCon 2016: Forging the right path for keeping the internet open and secure

24 Nov 2015

Here are the issues we’re reflecting on as we look ahead to RightsCon, our signature conference that gathers digital rights activists, companies, government officials, technologists, and academics from all over the world.

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RightsCon 2016: Forging the right path for keeping the internet open and secure
24 Nov 2015
RightsCon 2016: Forging the right path for keeping the internet open and secure
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Access Now at the Internet Governance Forum: A full agenda

9 Nov 2015
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Access Now at the Internet Governance Forum: A full agenda
9 Nov 2015
Access Now at the Internet Governance Forum: A full agenda

Twitter pledges to support accountability tools and name-checks Politwoops

21 Oct 2015

Today Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledged his company’s support for free expression, accountability, and transparency. His statement — including an explicit mention of Politwoops, a politician accountability tool — is to be applauded. We’re happy to see Twitter’s commitment to accountability and transparency online, and we encourage the sector to follow Twitter’s lead.

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Twitter pledges to support accountability tools and name-checks Politwoops
21 Oct 2015
Twitter pledges to support accountability tools and name-checks Politwoops

Access Grants: putting the needs and priorities of at-risk users first

16 Sep 2015

Several weeks back, Access announced the launch of the Access Grants program, highlighting the foundational work we’ve done over the last several months. We’ve been working hard to get ready to launch, and wanted to update the community on some exciting new developments.

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Access Grants: putting the needs and priorities of at-risk users first
16 Sep 2015
Access Grants: putting the needs and priorities of at-risk users first