### New Leadership at the Electronic Frontier Foundation  **Nicole Ozer**, a leading voice on technology and civil liberties, has been named the new Executive Director of the **Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)**. She will be taking over from **Cindy Cohn**, who has been a pivotal figure at the EFF for over two decades. Ozer's appointment signals a renewed focus on addressing the challenges posed by modern surveillance, artificial intelligence, and threats to digital free speech. ### Ozer's Extensive Background Prior to joining the EFF, Ozer served as the inaugural executive director of the **Center for Constitutional Democracy** at the University of California College of the Law in San Francisco. From 2004 to 2025, she founded and directed the Technology and Civil Liberties Program at the **American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California**. Her work includes spearheading the passage of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act and modernizing California law to protect reading records in the digital age. ### EFF's Mission and Future The **EFF**, celebrating its 35th anniversary, champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. Ozer expressed her enthusiasm to lead the organization, stating, "EFF’s global work to defend and advance rights, justice, and democracy in the digital age is fundamental to the future of our countries, our livelihoods, and literally our lives.” Cindy Cohn shared her confidence in Ozer, saying, “I couldn’t be happier to pass EFF’s reins over to Nicole. She has been our stalwart partner for many years in standing up for privacy, free speech and innovation online.” ### Board's Perspective **Gigi Sohn**, EFF Board Chair, emphasized Ozer’s suitability for the role, noting her “great vision, strong management skills and deep substantive knowledge.” The **EFF** Board anticipates a new chapter under Ozer's leadership. ### Cohn's Legacy Cohn's involvement with the **EFF** began in 1993 with *Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice*, a First Amendment challenge to U.S. export restrictions on cryptography. She served as EFF’s legal director and general counsel from 2000 to 2015, and as executive director since then. Her memoir, *Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance*, was recently published by **MIT Press**. ### Search Process The **EFF's** Board of Directors conducted an extensive search for Cohn’s successor with assistance from leadership advisory firm **Russell Reynolds Associates**.