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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.

Kazakhstan internet

UK protects free flow of information amidst Russia sanctions

1 Jun 2022

The UK government has listened to civil society’s assertion that blocking the flow of information in and out of Russia will strike a blow to the rights of millions.  

Press Release
UK protects free flow of information amidst Russia sanctions
1 Jun 2022
UK protects free flow of information amidst Russia sanctions
internet shutdown #KeepItOn

Letter to U.K. government: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus

20 May 2022

Access Now and a coalition of human rights organizations are calling on the U.K. government to ensure sanctions do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus.

Press Release
Letter to U.K. government: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus
20 May 2022
Letter to U.K. government: Do not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus
internet shutdown #KeepItOn

Coalition to Boris Johnson: don’t boot Russians offline via sanctions

20 May 2022

Access Now and a coalition of civil society organizations urge the U.K. government to not disrupt internet access in Russia or Belarus.

Press Release
Coalition to Boris Johnson: don’t boot Russians offline via sanctions
20 May 2022
Coalition to Boris Johnson: don’t boot Russians offline via sanctions
Access Now theme

Why the U.N. is focusing on digital rights during humanitarian crises

21 Apr 2022

Digital rights violations enable and escalate offline violence, deepening humanitarian crises. Our latest brief recaps key developments at the 49th United Nations Human Rights Council, guiding delegates in next steps for advancing global norms and standards to protect digital rights. 

Publication
Why the U.N. is focusing on digital rights during humanitarian crises
21 Apr 2022
Why the U.N. is focusing on digital rights during humanitarian crises
surveillance

Double win! Court rejects NSO’s attempts to silence victims and derail surveillance lawsuit

9 Nov 2021

On Monday, a U.S. appeals court allowed WhatsApp’s lawsuit against Israeli spyware firm NSO Group to advance.

Press Release
Double win! Court rejects NSO’s attempts to silence victims and derail surveillance lawsuit
9 Nov 2021
Double win! Court rejects NSO’s attempts to silence victims and derail surveillance lawsuit
Sierra Leone

Access Now to ECOWAS Court: overturn Nigeria’s Twitter ban

29 Sep 2021

Access Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Open Net Association filed a legal intervention to the ECOWAS Court challenging the constitutionality of Nigeria’s Twitter ban.

Press Release
Access Now to ECOWAS Court: overturn Nigeria’s Twitter ban
29 Sep 2021
Access Now to ECOWAS Court: overturn Nigeria’s Twitter ban

Six months in, Biden must speed progress on digital rights

20 Jul 2021

Six months into the Biden administration, more needs to be done to protect our human rights in the digital age.

Post
Six months in, Biden must speed progress on digital rights
20 Jul 2021
Six months in, Biden must speed progress on digital rights
Access Now theme

At the U.N., a new push to end surveillance of protesters — and protect their lawyers

7 Jul 2021

Digital surveillance is threatening the right to protest worldwide. U.N. human rights expert Clément Voule is fighting for strong encryption and tight restrictions on the use of spyware. Here’s why that push is important for human rights lawyers and the activists they represent.

Post
At the U.N., a new push to end surveillance of protesters — and protect their lawyers
7 Jul 2021
At the U.N., a new push to end surveillance of protesters — and protect their lawyers
Musk

Putting a check on Big Tech: the path to accountability for companies in the 2020 RDR Index

3 Jun 2021

Once again, we’re asking some of the world’s most powerful companies to review the findings in the Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) Corporate Accountability Index and make key changes to protect people’s rights.

Post
Putting a check on Big Tech: the path to accountability for companies in the 2020 RDR Index
3 Jun 2021
Putting a check on Big Tech: the path to accountability for companies in the 2020 RDR Index
Musk

After nearly two decades in the dark, Facebook releases its human rights policy

16 Mar 2021

Facebook released a long-overdue human rights policy outlining commitments across all of its products and services — but the policy’s impact largely depends on leadership’s yet-to-be-seen investment in its implementation.

Press Release
After nearly two decades in the dark, Facebook releases its human rights policy
16 Mar 2021
After nearly two decades in the dark, Facebook releases its human rights policy