Skip to main content
Back to content

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.

Access Now theme

Internet kill switches are a violation of human rights law, declare major UN and rights experts

4 May 2015

Major UN and international rights experts have just declared that internet kill switches are absolutely impermissible under international human rights law, even in times of conflict. This historic statement holds that governments can no longer justify ordering telecommunications companies to shut off mobile or internet services in the face of social unrest or protest. It is a critical decision that impacts the rights of people who are protesting from Burundi to Baltimore.

Post
Internet kill switches are a violation of human rights law, declare major UN and rights experts
4 May 2015
Internet kill switches are a violation of human rights law, declare major UN and rights experts
Access Now theme

Highlighting the key digital rights issues before the UN Human Rights Council

17 Mar 2015

The 28th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC28) is taking place right now through March 27 in Geneva. Access developed a policy brief with our partners at APC highlighting the key digital rights issues on the Council’s agenda, as well as relevant side events and countries under review in the Universal Periodic Review.

Post
Highlighting the key digital rights issues before the UN Human Rights Council
17 Mar 2015
Highlighting the key digital rights issues before the UN Human Rights Council
Access Now theme

International Rights Organizations Call for UN to Appoint Expert on Right to Privacy

2 Mar 2015

Access joined 62 other non-governmental organizations in calling for the UN Human Rights Council to appoint a new, independent expert on the right to privacy on Monday. The letter recommends a mandate of exploring the scope and content of the right to privacy and also that the expert should provide guidance to ensure that states, companies, and implement and enforce the right.

Post
International Rights Organizations Call for UN to Appoint Expert on Right to Privacy
2 Mar 2015
International Rights Organizations Call for UN to Appoint Expert on Right to Privacy
Access Now theme

Access submits evidence to International Criminal Court on net shutdown in Central African Republic

17 Feb 2015

Access has submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court about the SMS shutdown in the Central African Republic during June and July 2014. The submission supports the latest ICC investigation into crimes against humanity in CAR, the Court’s second probe into the “endless” list of atrocities perpetrated there.

Post
Access submits evidence to International Criminal Court on net shutdown in Central African Republic
17 Feb 2015
Access submits evidence to International Criminal Court on net shutdown in Central African Republic
Access Now theme

Access joins letter citing impact of sanctions in Crimea on free expression and digital security

12 Feb 2015

Access joined EFF, Global Voices Advocacy, New America’s Open Technology Institute, and Ferrari & Associates, P.C. in a letter calling for the OFAC—the agency charged with enforcing the sanctions—to issue a general license that would protect internet users.

Post
Access joins letter citing impact of sanctions in Crimea on free expression and digital security
12 Feb 2015
Access joins letter citing impact of sanctions in Crimea on free expression and digital security
Access Now theme

Violating International Law, DRC Orders Telcos to Cease Communications Services

23 Jan 2015

This week, the Democratic Republic of the Congo ordered a full shutdown of internet and SMS traffic in response to protests against the government. The shutdown is just the latest example of telcos complying with government censorship orders, albeit reluctantly.

Post
Violating International Law, DRC Orders Telcos to Cease Communications Services
23 Jan 2015
Violating International Law, DRC Orders Telcos to Cease Communications Services
Access Now theme

New UN resolution shifts momentum on privacy to Human Rights Council

26 Nov 2014

For the second straight year, the United Nations has declared that government communications surveillance poses a threat to the right to privacy.

Post
New UN resolution shifts momentum on privacy to Human Rights Council
26 Nov 2014
New UN resolution shifts momentum on privacy to Human Rights Council
Access Now theme

Stakeholder engagement: Access’ comments to BSR paper

7 Nov 2014

In September 2014, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) released a working paper on best practices for stakeholder engagement in human rights due diligence. This paper, focusing on challenges faced by ICT companies when trying to engage with rights holders, was jointly produced with the Center for Democracy and Technology and commissioned by Microsoft’s Technology and Human Rights Center.

Post
Stakeholder engagement: Access’ comments to BSR paper
7 Nov 2014
Stakeholder engagement: Access’ comments to BSR paper
Access Now theme

South Korean IM app takes bold stand against police abuses

16 Oct 2014

Access commends KakaoTalk for recognizing the need for extreme measures in the face of overbearing and arbitrary government surveillance.

Post
South Korean IM app takes bold stand against police abuses
16 Oct 2014
South Korean IM app takes bold stand against police abuses
Access Now theme

Access contributes to independent review of UK surveillance abuses

15 Oct 2014

The UK has failed to protect its citizens’ fundamental rights to privacy and secure communications.

Post
Access contributes to independent review of UK surveillance abuses
15 Oct 2014
Access contributes to independent review of UK surveillance abuses
Privacy Overview

This website uses strictly necessary cookies for functionality, and asks if you’d like to opt-in to anonymous analytics collection. The anonymous analytic cookies are stored in your browser and perform functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you utilise the most. We use this information to improve our website layout, content, and donations practices.

Strictly Necessary

Strictly necessary cookies should be enabled at all times. These cookies are used only for fraud prevention, session integrity, and to save your cookie preferences.

Analytics

Access Now uses Matomo, an open-source, self-hosted analytics platform, to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, what people's journey across our website looks like, and the most popular pages. The data collected is stored on our own, secure servers and never shared with third parties.