June 3, 2021 - 5:00pm PDT
Livestream
We will create a civilization of the Mind in Cyberspace. May it be more humane and fair than the world your governments have made before.
— John Perry Barlow, "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace"

Join us for a candid live discussion with net neutrality pioneer Gigi Sohn, who served as Counselor to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and co-founder of leading advocacy organization Public Knowledge. Gigi will sit down with EFF Senior Legislative Counsel Ernesto Falcon, and EFF Associate Director of Policy and Activism Katharine Trendacosta to discuss corporatization, activism, and the fate of the internet.

EFF30 Fireside Chat: Free the Internet
Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 5 pm Pacific Time
Streaming Discussion with Q&A

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The future sure isn’t what it used to be. This year marked the 25th anniversary of Barlow’s audacious essay denouncing centralized authority on the blossoming internet. But modern tech strayed far from the utopia of individual freedom that 90s netizens envisioned. U.S. digital infrastructure lags behind much of the world, rural and other marginalized people are left behind, and a tiny handful of companies seem to control the internet. It sounds a lot like that old world of flesh and steel. So what went wrong and is it too late to fix it?

RSVP today to attend this latest installment of EFF's 30th anniversary conversation series. Want to support EFF's work? Pitch in an optional $10 donation when you register, or give today at eff.org/30.

ABOUT EFF30 FIRESIDE CHATS: To commemorate the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s 30th anniversary, we present EFF30 Fireside Chats. This limited series of livestreamed conversations looks back at some of the biggest issues in internet history and their effects on the modern web. Past guests include renowned security technologist Bruce Schneier on the Crypto Wars, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden on Section 230 and free speech, Edward Snowden on privacy and surveillance, and leading experts in technology policy.

WATCH:
EFF Livestream on Twitch (Twitch Privacy Policy)
Simulcasts: Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube Live.
A recording will be available after the program on YouTube.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Net neutrality pioneer Gigi Sohn is one of the nation’s leading public advocates for open, affordable and democratic communications networks. She is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, a Benton Senior Fellow and Public Advocate, and a member of EFF’s Board of Directors. From 2013-2016, Gigi was Counselor to the former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler. She advised the Chairman on a wide range of Internet, telecommunications and media issues, representing him and the FCC in a variety of public forums around the country as well as serving as the primary liaison between the Chairman’s office and outside stakeholders. From 2001-2013, Gigi served as the Co-Founder and CEO of Public Knowledge, a leading telecommunications, media and technology policy advocacy organization. She was previously a Project Specialist in the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts and Culture unit and Executive Director of the Media Access Project, a public interest law firm. (Back to top)

EFF Associate Director of Policy and Activism Katharine Trendacosta focuses on intellectual property, net neutrality, fair use, free speech online, and intermediary liability. Before joining EFF, Katharine spent many years as a writer and editor at the science fiction and science website io9, while also contributing occasionally to io9’s sister publications Deadspin, Jezebel, and Gizmodo. Katharine got a BA in history at Columbia University and a JD at USC Gould School of Law, doing work with the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic. It was Katharine’s experience in media that led to her going to law school with an eye to learning more about fair use and copyright law. She’s excited to be melding both her legal and writing background together at the EFF. (Back to top)

EFF Senior Legislative Counsel Ernesto Falcon has a primary focus on intellectual property, open Internet issues, broadband access, and competition policy. He represents EFF’s advocacy, on behalf of its members and all consumers, for a free and open Internet before state legislatures and Congress. Ernesto’s work includes pushing the state of California to pass the strongest net neutrality law in the country in response to federal repeal efforts, as well as leading EFF's research and advocacy to promote universally available, affordable, and competitive fiber broadband networks. Prior to joining EFF, Ernesto worked as a legislative staffer for two members of Congress (2004-2010). He then became Vice President of Government Affairs at Public Knowledge (PK), where he was successful in leading the organization's efforts to defeat AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile in 2014. The following year, PK and EFF scored a major victory for consumers by rallying the Internet community to defeat the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). After eight years in Washington DC, he returned to his home state of California to attend law school at McGeorge School of Law and continue his work for digital rights advocacy. After becoming an attorney, Ernesto rejoined the fight for consumers and Internet freedom at EFF. (Back to top)

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