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Peter Micek, Esq.

General Counsel

Peter Micek is General Counsel and UN Policy Manager at Access Now, based in New York City. Peter Micek leads the Legal arm, managing risk to global programming and operations, closely with the organization’s Digital Security Helpline, Grants, and RightsCon teams. The Legal arm engages in strategic litigation and bolsters legal support for civic space online and civil society actors globally. As UN Policy Manager, Peter advances international norms and law on digital rights, including on privacy and spyware, censorship and internet shutdowns, and digital identity programs. Peter is also Lecturer at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on internet governance and public policy in the digital age, and 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. A lawyer by training, 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. As a law student, Peter defended independent journalists and engaged in Freedom of Information litigation at First Amendment Project. Peter studied political science and journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He is licensed by the state bars of California and New York, and has no cats.

ChatMonopoly: Russia consolidates control over social media

24 Apr 2014

Russia’s largest homegrown social network, Vkontakte, with its more than 100 million users, is now under new management.

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ChatMonopoly: Russia consolidates control over social media
24 Apr 2014
ChatMonopoly: Russia consolidates control over social media

Australian Telco Telstra Releases First Transparency Report

16 Apr 2014

Last month Telstra became the first non-U.S. telco to release a regular report on government and law enforcement requests for user data.

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Australian Telco Telstra Releases First Transparency Report
16 Apr 2014
Australian Telco Telstra Releases First Transparency Report

Access and partners demand DHS investigate GoDaddy domain takedown

9 Apr 2014

Today, Access and our partners sent a letter demanding an immediate investigation into what appears to be U.S. government complicity in silencing political speech in Mexico.

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Access and partners demand DHS investigate GoDaddy domain takedown
9 Apr 2014
Access and partners demand DHS investigate GoDaddy domain takedown

French intelligence has unrestricted access to Orange’s networks

26 Mar 2014

Last Friday, the French newspaper Le Monde revealed a previously undisclosed relationship between French telco Orange and the French intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE).

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French intelligence has unrestricted access to Orange’s networks
26 Mar 2014
French intelligence has unrestricted access to Orange’s networks

NSA: In your country, recording all your calls

20 Mar 2014

The U.S. government has developed and deployed a surveillance system that records every single telephone call made in an unnamed country outside the U.S. for up to 30 days.

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NSA: In your country, recording all your calls
20 Mar 2014
NSA: In your country, recording all your calls

Venezuela’s media crackdown extends online

22 Feb 2014

Venezuela has become the first South American government to take credit for shutting down nationwide access to the servers of massive online social networks to stifle political demonstrations.

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Venezuela’s media crackdown extends online
22 Feb 2014
Venezuela’s media crackdown extends online

Verizon report bolsters calls to reform metadata protections

25 Jan 2014

This week Verizon became the first multinational telco to release a Transparency Report on law enforcement requests.

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Verizon report bolsters calls to reform metadata protections
25 Jan 2014
Verizon report bolsters calls to reform metadata protections

US privacy oversight board slams legality & usefulness bulk data collection

23 Jan 2014

Access sees the PCLOB’s recommendations as a major step toward ending the practice of indiscriminate bulk collection of user data. While the report is limited in its scope, it makes bold statements casting doubt on both the legality and the utility of the NSA’s mass surveillance programs.

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US privacy oversight board slams legality & usefulness bulk data collection
23 Jan 2014
US privacy oversight board slams legality & usefulness bulk data collection

Telcos claim innocence in Ukraine’s threatening text messages

23 Jan 2014

Just as new laws outlawing public assembly go into effect, Ukrainian security forces are accused of threatening protesters through targeted phone text messages.

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Telcos claim innocence in Ukraine’s threatening text messages
23 Jan 2014
Telcos claim innocence in Ukraine’s threatening text messages

Vodafone answers call for greater transparency worldwide

16 Jan 2014

Today, Vodafone announced it will ask governments in 25 countries for the right to disclose the number of demands it receives for wiretapping and customer data.

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Vodafone answers call for greater transparency worldwide
16 Jan 2014
Vodafone answers call for greater transparency worldwide