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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.
Hand holding paper plane in blue sky

Iran: The block on Telegram is a blow to freedom of expression

11 May 2018

Today Access Now joins a coalition of rights organizations to urge the Iranian Judiciary and the Hassan Rouhani administration to restore Telegram for Iranians.

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Iran: The block on Telegram is a blow to freedom of expression
11 May 2018
Iran: The block on Telegram is a blow to freedom of expression
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Russia: Telegram block leads to widespread assault on freedom of expression online

30 Apr 2018

Access Now joins a coalition of rights organizations in calling on Russia to stop blocking the encrypted messaging application Telegram, and to cease its broader attack on free expression online and the free press.

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Russia: Telegram block leads to widespread assault on freedom of expression online
30 Apr 2018
Russia: Telegram block leads to widespread assault on freedom of expression online

Defending the right to privacy globally: 8 key recommendations for the digital age

25 Apr 2018

Our submission to the United Nations on “the right to privacy in the digital age” details ways that governments can protect this fundamental right.

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Defending the right to privacy globally: 8 key recommendations for the digital age
25 Apr 2018
Defending the right to privacy globally: 8 key recommendations for the digital age

Google ends “domain fronting,” a crucial way for tools to evade censors

18 Apr 2018

Domain fronting services enable apps and services like Tor to circumvent some forms of repressive censorship and surveillance. We urge Google to reverse course.

Press Release
Google ends “domain fronting,” a crucial way for tools to evade censors
18 Apr 2018
Google ends “domain fronting,” a crucial way for tools to evade censors

Watching what governments do, not what they say: digital rights at the United Nations

11 Apr 2018

Our submissions to the United Nations Human Rights Council provide evidence of digital rights abuse in Chad, Central African Republic, China, Mexico, and Jordan.

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Watching what governments do, not what they say: digital rights at the United Nations
11 Apr 2018
Watching what governments do, not what they say: digital rights at the United Nations

Access Now, USC IHRC urge United Nations to take action on human rights in Cameroon

8 Mar 2018

Our letter to the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, urges the United Nations to address recent human rights violations committed by the Republic of Cameroon against the country’s Anglophone population.

Press Release
Access Now, USC IHRC urge United Nations to take action on human rights in Cameroon
8 Mar 2018
Access Now, USC IHRC urge United Nations to take action on human rights in Cameroon
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The gender of surveillance: how the world can work together for a safer internet

6 Feb 2018

For gender equality by 2030, civil society and governments need to collaborate on preventing gendered surveillance.

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The gender of surveillance: how the world can work together for a safer internet
6 Feb 2018
The gender of surveillance: how the world can work together for a safer internet

Access Now & ISF file legal intervention against Cameroon shutdown

24 Jan 2018

People who live through internet shutdowns almost never get redress for harm during the disruptions. Our intervention seeks to change that.

Press Release
Access Now & ISF file legal intervention against Cameroon shutdown
24 Jan 2018
Access Now & ISF file legal intervention against Cameroon shutdown
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Access Now responds to Special Rapporteur Kaye on “Content Regulation in the Digital Age”

11 Jan 2018

Governments are coercing private internet intermediaries to police and regulate online content. Here’s how companies can meet their obligation to respect human rights.

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Access Now responds to Special Rapporteur Kaye on “Content Regulation in the Digital Age”
11 Jan 2018
Access Now responds to Special Rapporteur Kaye on “Content Regulation in the Digital Age”

Poverty in the U.S.? Yes — and it’s a digital rights issue

16 Nov 2017

We’re asking the United Nations to examine barriers to internet access, invasion of privacy for welfare recipients, and the targeted surveillance of immigrant, poor, and minority communities.

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Poverty in the U.S.? Yes — and it’s a digital rights issue
16 Nov 2017
Poverty in the U.S.? Yes — and it’s a digital rights issue