The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the San Francisco-based organization widely regarded as the leading advocate for digital civil liberties in the United States, has a new executive director. Nicole Ozer formally took over the role today, succeeding Cindy Cohn, who spent more than 25 years at the organization - the last decade of them as its top executive. The transition, first announced in March, hands leadership of EFF to a figure who has spent her own career at the intersection of technology policy and constitutional rights.
A Successor Built for the Moment
Ozer arrives with credentials that map closely onto EFF's core work. She spent more than 20 years as the founding director of the Technology and Civil Liberties Program at the ACLU of Northern California - a tenure that made her one of the country's most prominent civil liberties lawyers working specifically on surveillance, privacy, and the civil-liberties implications of emerging technology. Most recently, she served as the inaugural executive director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy at the University of California College of Law in San Francisco.
Crucially, she is not new to EFF itself. She worked alongside the organization on two landmark pieces of California legislation: the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing electronic communications and data - EFF has described it as "the nation's strongest electronic surveillance law" - and the California Reader Privacy Act, which imposes a heightened legal standard, described as a "super warrant," for government access to records of what people read. She also litigated civil liberties cases against the NSA while collaborating with EFF and drafted amicus briefs on technology issues at every level of state and federal court, including the US Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court.
"Many of us already know her," EFF communications director Josh Richman wrote in a post published on the organization's website today, "and she's basically as close to EFF 'family' as someone can be without actually having worked here."
When Ozer was first named to the position in March, she posted on Bluesky: "So proud to take the torch from Cindy Cohn and lead EFF forward in its next chapter. Together, we can meet the challenges and keep building a future where technology works for the people."
What Cindy Cohn Built - and Where She's Headed
Cohn's departure marks the end of an era that substantially shaped how digital rights are understood and defended in the United States. Her relationship with EFF began in 1993, when the organization recruited her as outside lead counsel in Bernstein v. Department of Justice - a First Amendment case challenging US export restrictions on cryptography that became a foundational moment in the history of online privacy law. That case, and Cohn's role in winning it, established an early legal framework for treating encryption as protected speech.
She went on to serve as EFF's Legal Director and General Counsel from 2000 through 2015, when she became executive director. During her decade at the helm, EFF expanded its scope, its staff, and its public profile, engaging on issues ranging from mass surveillance and net neutrality to artificial intelligence and platform accountability. She also co-hosted EFF's "How to Fix the Internet" podcast, which launched roughly five years ago and earned recognition in its own right.
"Simply put, Cindy Cohn is an EFF institution," said Gigi Sohn, EFF's board chair, in a statement issued in September. "Under her leadership, the organization has grown tremendously, cementing its role as the premier defender of digital privacy, free speech and innovation in the US, and perhaps the world."
Cohn is not retiring. According to Richman, she is leaving EFF later this month to return to active litigation - specifically, to pursue work that puts her "back in the courtroom doing what she does best: suing the government." Richman added that she "will still be part of the EFF community."
The Stakes Behind the Transition
The timing of the handover is not incidental. EFF is taking on new leadership at a moment when the policy environment around digital rights is arguably more contested than at any point in the organization's history. Pressure on end-to-end encryption continues from lawmakers in multiple jurisdictions. Surveillance capabilities - both governmental and corporate - have expanded dramatically in sophistication and reach. Artificial intelligence has introduced a new layer of complexity to questions about privacy, consent, and the concentration of data power.
Ozer's background positions her to address that landscape. Her work on California privacy legislation has given her direct experience translating civil-liberties principles into enforceable legal standards - a skill that will matter as federal and state policymakers continue to debate the boundaries of digital surveillance, data collection, and online speech. Her courtroom record gives her credibility with the litigation-minded culture that has always been central to EFF's identity.
For an organization whose influence depends on being taken seriously by legislators, judges, and technologists alike, continuity of expertise matters as much as continuity of mission. On both counts, the transition appears carefully considered.
