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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.
Digital rights

To protect privacy in the digital age, world governments can and must do more

25 Jan 2021

The latest U.N. privacy resolution does not go far enough, missing the opportunity to respond firmly to the human rights threats posed by systemic racism, artificial intelligence, facial recognition technology, and other key technological and social developments.

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To protect privacy in the digital age, world governments can and must do more
25 Jan 2021
To protect privacy in the digital age, world governments can and must do more
encryption

Encryption is vital for attorney-client privilege in the digital era, and lawyers should fight for it

11 Jan 2021

In the fight for encryption, attorney-client privilege is at stake.

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Encryption is vital for attorney-client privilege in the digital era, and lawyers should fight for it
11 Jan 2021
Encryption is vital for attorney-client privilege in the digital era, and lawyers should fight for it
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Fighting systemic racism in the digital age: a global challenge

10 Dec 2020

On Human Rights Day of 2020, we highlight the mandate of E. Tendayi Achiume, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to fight systematic racism.

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Fighting systemic racism in the digital age: a global challenge
10 Dec 2020
Fighting systemic racism in the digital age: a global challenge
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Rights-based Digital Cooperation requires transparency on the U.N. Tech Envoy

25 Nov 2020

Five months after the United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General called on the international community to spearhead its implementation, we’re taking a critical look at progress on the U.N. Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. So far, civil society engagement around selection of the U.N. Tech Envoy — a critical component of the Roadmap — has been lacking.

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Rights-based Digital Cooperation requires transparency on the U.N. Tech Envoy
25 Nov 2020
Rights-based Digital Cooperation requires transparency on the U.N. Tech Envoy
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More than 3.5 billion left in the dark: why we’re still fighting to reach U.N. targets for internet access

5 Nov 2020

If we don’t reach U.N. targets for internet access — providing everyone, everywhere with affordable, open, secure, and high-quality connectivity — we won’t meet the sustainable development goals by 2030.  

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More than 3.5 billion left in the dark: why we’re still fighting to reach U.N. targets for internet access
5 Nov 2020
More than 3.5 billion left in the dark: why we’re still fighting to reach U.N. targets for internet access
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Sandvine, Francisco Partners facing mounting pressure for accountability around censorship tools

23 Sep 2020

Access Now, CPJ, EFF, and digital security experts Ron Deibert and Christopher Parsons are calling on California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to look into the activities of Sandvine and its owners Francisco Partners for potential legal violations arising out of their contracts with Belarus.

Press Release
Sandvine, Francisco Partners facing mounting pressure for accountability around censorship tools
23 Sep 2020
Sandvine, Francisco Partners facing mounting pressure for accountability around censorship tools
Focused View

Trump executive orders targeting China-linked apps fail to protect privacy, harm human rights

18 Sep 2020

Unilateral decrees by the Trump Administration banning transactions between U.S. persons and businesses and the firms running WeChat and TikTok would deprive millions of people of information and communication tools during a global pandemic, restrict human rights groups from reaching at-risk communities, and suppress free expression just before the U.S. election.

Press Release
Trump executive orders targeting China-linked apps fail to protect privacy, harm human rights
18 Sep 2020
Trump executive orders targeting China-linked apps fail to protect privacy, harm human rights
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Censorship tech company Sandvine’s human rights “commitments” are too little too late

16 Sep 2020

Sandvine withdrawing its product support in Belarus after abuses have already occurred is a necessary but deeply insufficient gesture from a company whose investors have a long track record of failing to protect human rights.

Press Release
Censorship tech company Sandvine’s human rights “commitments” are too little too late
16 Sep 2020
Censorship tech company Sandvine’s human rights “commitments” are too little too late
UPR: Universal Periodic Review

Digital rights are human rights: Holding Australia, Georgia, Myanmar, and Nauru to account at the U.N.

10 Sep 2020

When member states fail to protect human rights — such as by cutting off internet access in the middle of a global pandemic — we leverage the UPR process to call attention to that failure and press for change.

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Digital rights are human rights: Holding Australia, Georgia, Myanmar, and Nauru to account at the U.N.
10 Sep 2020
Digital rights are human rights: Holding Australia, Georgia, Myanmar, and Nauru to account at the U.N.
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Francisco Partners-owned Sandvine profits from shutdowns and oppression in Belarus

3 Sep 2020

Sandvine, a Canadian company owned by U.S. private equity firm Francisco Partners, supplied DPI technology that was likely used to implement internet shutdowns in Belarus.

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Francisco Partners-owned Sandvine profits from shutdowns and oppression in Belarus
3 Sep 2020
Francisco Partners-owned Sandvine profits from shutdowns and oppression in Belarus