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Deji Olukotun

Senior Global Advocacy Manager

As a member of the advocacy team, Deji Bryce Olukotun (email: [email protected]) manages Access Now’s global campaigns on fighting internet shutdowns, the open internet, cybersecurity, and ensuring that our fundamental rights are respected online. He came from the literary and human rights organization PEN American Center, where he founded PEN’s digital freedom program and managed its capacity-building work in Myanmar, South Africa, Haiti, and Nigeria. He holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, a BA from Yale University, and dual masters degrees in Creative Writing and Justice & Transformation from the University of Cape Town, where he was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He has also worked as corporate counsel for a small technology startup. An avid writer, Deji is the author of the novel Nigerians in Space (Unnamed Press) and After the Flare (forthcoming, 2017). His work has been featured in The Atlantic, NPR, The New York Times, and Vice.

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Four lessons for digital rights activists from the Games for Change festival

24 Apr 2015

How do video games impact digital rights? Here are four lessons for activists from the Games for Change festival.

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Four lessons for digital rights activists from the Games for Change festival
24 Apr 2015
Four lessons for digital rights activists from the Games for Change festival
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In good news from the evil mobile sandbox, Verizon allows opt-out of zombie tracking

6 Apr 2015

Last week, Verizon Wireless announced that it would allow its users to opt-out of its zombie cookie tracking program, which it calls Relevant Mobile Advertising. Users can now log in to their account and click through a few links to force the company to stop tracking their web traffic. This is a major victory for privacy and follows an earlier pledge by AT&T in November to stop the tracking.

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In good news from the evil mobile sandbox, Verizon allows opt-out of zombie tracking
6 Apr 2015
In good news from the evil mobile sandbox, Verizon allows opt-out of zombie tracking
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Promoting Digital Security in Tunisia at the World Social Forum

30 Mar 2015

Fifty thousand activists from 5,000 NGOs around the world attended the World Social Forum in Tunis last week to press for change on a wide variety of issues. Access joined our partners Reporters Sans Frontieres, DSS 216, and C Libre to host a tent and support digital rights.

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Promoting Digital Security in Tunisia at the World Social Forum
30 Mar 2015
Promoting Digital Security in Tunisia at the World Social Forum
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Net Neutrality rules ban fast and slow lanes, but leave zero rating in place

12 Mar 2015

After a lot anticipation and hand wringing, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission finally released its rules about how it will implement its landmark Open Internet Order. The rules — which run some 300 pages — block the creation of fast and slow lanes and appropriately classify broadband internet as a “telecommunications service” under Title II of the Communications Act.

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Net Neutrality rules ban fast and slow lanes, but leave zero rating in place
12 Mar 2015
Net Neutrality rules ban fast and slow lanes, but leave zero rating in place
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Access delivers petition to U.S. agencies to investigate use of zombie cookies by mobile carriers

18 Feb 2015

Today, Access delivered a petition signed by 3,000 users to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the use of so-called “zombie cookies” by mobile carriers to track their customers’ web traffic. Access also delivered a similar petition to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) because both agencies arguably have the authority to investigate these harmful practices.

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Access delivers petition to U.S. agencies to investigate use of zombie cookies by mobile carriers
18 Feb 2015
Access delivers petition to U.S. agencies to investigate use of zombie cookies by mobile carriers
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The World Is Watching: 31 Rights Groups from 21 Countries Urge the FCC to Protect Net Neutrality

10 Feb 2015

This week 31 digital rights groups from some 21 countries on five continents urged the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pass strong Net Neutrality rules that that would reclassify broadband providers under Title II of the Communications Act. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler gave encouraging signs that he intends to propose rules that would harness the full extent of the FCC’s authority on February 26, yet members of the U.S. Congress and some ISPs are already on the attack.

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The World Is Watching: 31 Rights Groups from 21 Countries Urge the FCC to Protect Net Neutrality
10 Feb 2015
The World Is Watching: 31 Rights Groups from 21 Countries Urge the FCC to Protect Net Neutrality
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Supercookies Live On, and We’ve Got to Stop Them

27 Jan 2015

Access has been fighting the use of supercookies since last fall, when we learned that the mobile carrier Verizon Wireless had been secretly injecting Unique Identifier Headers, or UIDH, into every single http request made by its mobile users. Recently, we learned even more disturbing news about mobile tracking on Verizon and other cell phone carriers over the past few weeks. Even without this type of third-party abuse, though, the very existence of these cookies violates our privacy rights if we can’t truly opt out.

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Supercookies Live On, and We’ve Got to Stop Them
27 Jan 2015
Supercookies Live On, and We’ve Got to Stop Them
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Spain Targets Vulnerable Users on Eve of Review at UN Human Rights Council

21 Jan 2015

The UN Human Rights Council will review the human rights record of the government of Spain on Wednesday as part of its Universal Periodic Review. Access calls on UN member states to recommend that Spain halt the criminalization of encryption, and to protect the rights of all users in the country.

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Spain Targets Vulnerable Users on Eve of Review at UN Human Rights Council
21 Jan 2015
Spain Targets Vulnerable Users on Eve of Review at UN Human Rights Council
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Just in time for the Holidays: UN Approves Privacy Resolution in Major Victory for Human Rights

19 Dec 2014

Just in time for the Holidays: UN Approves Privacy Resolution in Major Victory for Human Rights

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Just in time for the Holidays: UN Approves Privacy Resolution in Major Victory for Human Rights
19 Dec 2014
Just in time for the Holidays: UN Approves Privacy Resolution in Major Victory for Human Rights
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More than 35 organizations from 19 countries launch Global Net Neutrality Coalition

24 Nov 2014

Anyone who thinks that net neutrality is a boring issue for computer geeks needs to look outside the U.S. Countries around the world are championing the cause of an open internet by pushing for laws and policies that protect the features that made the internet what it is today. And they are just as fired up about net neutrality as President Obama himself was just this month, when he gave his full support for the open net. Net neutrality is not an American issue, or a European issue, or an African issue. It is increasingly a global issue.

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More than 35 organizations from 19 countries launch Global Net Neutrality Coalition
24 Nov 2014
More than 35 organizations from 19 countries launch Global Net Neutrality Coalition