Nicole Ozer leads cutting-edge law and policy to advance rights, justice, and democracy and is a legal expert on artificial intelligence, privacy and surveillance, and digital speech.

Before becoming Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation in June 2026, she had launched the Center for Constitutional Democracy at UC Law San Francisco as its Inaugural Executive Director and earlier was the founding Director and longtime leader of the Technology and Civil Liberties Program at the ACLU of Northern California.

Nicole was also a Technology and Human Rights Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, a Fellow at the Stanford Digital Civil Society Lab, a Visiting Researcher at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, and an intellectual property attorney at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco.

Ozer is a trailblazer in public interest technology law. For more than two decades, she has led innovative work in the courts, in communities, with companies, and with policymakers to pass landmark laws, win critical cases, and build power for national and international change.

Ozer spearheaded the passage of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) and California Reader Privacy Act. She designed groundbreaking surveillance reform strategies now used across the United States and created and led the national online privacy campaign, Demand Your dotRights. She helped develop and lead a global coalition successfully fighting face surveillance . She has drafted influential amicus briefs on constitutional issues at all levels of state and federal court, including the California Supreme Court and United States Supreme Court. Nicole has written a wide variety of academic articles and policy papers and is frequently called upon for expert testimony, keynote presentations, and commentary in the press.

Ozer graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College, studied comparative civil rights history at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and earned her J.D. with a Certificate in Law and Technology from Berkeley Law.

Ozer was honored in 2025 with a California Senate Members Resolution for unwavering dedication to defending and promoting civil liberties in the digital world, invaluable contributions to people throughout California, and meritorious service to humanity. Ozer has also been honored with the Fearless Advocate Award by the American Constitution Society, the Privacy Award by the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, and the James Madison Freedom of Information Award by the Society of Professional Journalists. Ozer has been recognized as a top Artificial Intelligence Lawyer by the Daily Journal, twice recognized as a Woman Leader in Tech Law by the California Legal Awards, and San Jose Magazine selected her as one of 20 “Women Making a Mark” in Silicon Valley.