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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.

NSO Group human rights

April 2019: Open letter to Novalpina Capital, cc: NSO Group, Francisco Partners

15 Apr 2019

The new owners of NSO Group continue to fail to demonstrate how they plan to prevent use of their surveillance products to harm human rights.

Press Release
April 2019: Open letter to Novalpina Capital, cc: NSO Group, Francisco Partners
15 Apr 2019
April 2019: Open letter to Novalpina Capital, cc: NSO Group, Francisco Partners
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Four years to a first draft: slow progress toward treaty to bind companies

31 Jan 2019

The U.N. Human Rights Council has published the first official draft of a legally binding treaty on business and human rights. It’s a huge achievement, but there is still work to do.

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Four years to a first draft: slow progress toward treaty to bind companies
31 Jan 2019
Four years to a first draft: slow progress toward treaty to bind companies
UNHRC_Eric Bridiers

Access Now and global partners report to Human Rights Council on most pressing digital rights issues in Nicaragua, DRC, Qatar, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica

10 Oct 2018

Our reports cover a country’s human rights obligations, developments since the last review, and pressing examples with evidence to show how rights are being violated or put at risk.

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Access Now and global partners report to Human Rights Council on most pressing digital rights issues in Nicaragua, DRC, Qatar, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica
10 Oct 2018
Access Now and global partners report to Human Rights Council on most pressing digital rights issues in Nicaragua, DRC, Qatar, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica
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Cameroon: Never again, or again and again?

7 Oct 2018

There is an ongoing human rights crisis in Cameroon. The international community must act.

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Cameroon: Never again, or again and again?
7 Oct 2018
Cameroon: Never again, or again and again?
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Access Now calls on 22 major tech companies to account for their human rights practices

17 Sep 2018

We’re working with Ranking Digital Rights to make sure the companies tracked in the Corporate Accountability Index respond and take steps to protect your rights.

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Access Now calls on 22 major tech companies to account for their human rights practices
17 Sep 2018
Access Now calls on 22 major tech companies to account for their human rights practices

Fake comments by real soldiers: South Korean scandals through a digital rights lens

13 Sep 2018

In South Korea, troll armies have spurred political scandals. The response must protect free expression and democratic discourse.

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Fake comments by real soldiers: South Korean scandals through a digital rights lens
13 Sep 2018
Fake comments by real soldiers: South Korean scandals through a digital rights lens

Access Now files new legal intervention in Cameroon against shutdowns

2 Aug 2018

Access Now is supporting plaintiffs in Cameroon, who are challenging the government’s decision to shut down the internet in Anglophone regions of the country. The blocks harmed the human rights of millions, and stand in violation of international law.

Press Release
Access Now files new legal intervention in Cameroon against shutdowns
2 Aug 2018
Access Now files new legal intervention in Cameroon against shutdowns

At the United Nations, UPR surfaces threats to our digital ecosystem

18 Jul 2018

In the current review cycle, we provide evidence on the human rights situation in Chile, New Zealand, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Yemen.

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At the United Nations, UPR surfaces threats to our digital ecosystem
18 Jul 2018
At the United Nations, UPR surfaces threats to our digital ecosystem
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Saving the U.N. “Internet Resolution” from sharks circling in Geneva

10 Jul 2018

The flaws in the consensus resolution show that those committed to human rights must engage even more deeply to ensure the most vulnerable are protected.

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Saving the U.N. “Internet Resolution” from sharks circling in Geneva
10 Jul 2018
Saving the U.N. “Internet Resolution” from sharks circling in Geneva
Hand holding paper plane in blue sky

Iran: The block on Telegram is a blow to freedom of expression

11 May 2018

Today Access Now joins a coalition of rights organizations to urge the Iranian Judiciary and the Hassan Rouhani administration to restore Telegram for Iranians.

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Iran: The block on Telegram is a blow to freedom of expression
11 May 2018
Iran: The block on Telegram is a blow to freedom of expression