Ozer Named EFF Executive Director, 35-Year Milestone

Nicole Ozer will steer the EFF through a new era of AI and privacy battles.

Nicole Ozer has been tapped to lead the Electronic Frontier Foundation, taking the helm as executive director effective June 1. The appointment, announced as the group marked its 35th anniversary in 2025, signals a strategic shift at a time when civil-liberties concerns around privacy, surveillance, and artificial intelligence are taking center stage in policy and courtrooms alike. Ozer comes to the role with a long track record in technology law and digital rights, most recently as the inaugural executive director of UC Hastings College of the Law’s Center for Constitutional Democracy in San Francisco. Before that, she spent two decades—2004 through 2025—leading the Technology and Civil Liberties Program at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.

The handover is notable because Ozer will succeed Cindy Cohn, a defining figure at the EFF for more than 25 years who guided the nonprofit through decades of high-stakes litigation and advocacy. Cohn stepped down from the executive-director post, a role she has held since 2015, leaving a legacy of landmark lawsuits, policy analyses, and grassroots organizing that helped shape what many consider the modern digital-rights movement. The EFF says the transition preserves a continuity of mission—defending user privacy, free expression, and innovation—while positioning the organization to confront accelerating technological change.

In a media statement, Ozer framed the job as a continuation and expansion of EFF’s core work: “I am honored to lead EFF forward in these critical times. EFF’s global work to defend and advance rights, justice, and democracy in the digital age is fundamental to the future of our countries, our livelihoods, and literally our lives.”

Industry observers say the appointment aligns with a broader trend: civil-liberties groups are increasingly seeking leaders who blend legal rigor with tech fluency and policy nuance. Ozer’s résumé—academic leadership in constitutional democracy paired with a long tenure steering technology-and-liberties programs—positions her to press for more aggressive policy campaigns on algorithmic transparency, surveillance reform, and privacy protections in the era of AI model training, data brokers, and mass data collection.

Two to four practitioner-oriented takeaways emerge for lawyers, policymakers, and tech executives watching the transition:

Expect a sharpened focus on AI governance. With Ozer’s background in AI and digital speech, EFF leadership is likely to push for concrete standards around transparency, accountability, and user rights in AI systems—ranging from data provenance to explainability—and to advocate for remedies when violations occur in both consumer tech and surveillance-enabled services.

A balanced growth strategy for litigation and policy. The EFF under Ozer may pursue a more scalable mix of impact litigation, policy analysis, and grassroots activism. Organizations will be watching how the new leadership maintains the courtroom momentum built under Cohn while expanding legislative and regulatory engagement at state, national, and global levels.

Strategic partnerships and funding. Ozer’s university and nonprofit background could help EFF deepen collaborations with academic centers, civil-society coalitions, and technologists. That could broaden EFF’s research base and fundraising streams at a moment when civil-liberties work increasingly relies on data-backed policy campaigns.

Continuity amid change. For practitioners who have relied on EFF’s litigation and policy positions, the transition tests the organization’s institutional memory and donor relationships. Expect a careful effort to preserve Cohn-era priorities while redefining how EFF mobilizes volunteers, allies, and technology expertise in a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape.

What this means for regular people is subtler but significant: as courts and regulators scrutinize how data is collected, used, and monetized, the EFF under Ozer is poised to push for stronger privacy safeguards, clearer user consent, and real-world protections against surveillance overreach. The appointment underscores a moment when civil-liberties advocacy increasingly intersects with AI policy, digital privacy, and the governance of online expression.

Sources

Nicole Ozer Named as Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Executive Director