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Justice, Fairness, Inclusion, and Performance.

Daniel Weitzner

MEMBER SINCE: 2019

Daniel Weitzner profile headshot
Daniel J. Weitzner holds the 3Com Founders Principal Research Scientist chair at CSAIL, is Founding Director of the MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative, and teaches Internet public policy in MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Weitzner’s research pioneered the development of Accountable Systems to enable computational treatment of legal rules. Weitzner was United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy in the White House. where he led initiatives on privacy, cybersecurity, copyright, and digital trade policies promoting the free flow of information. He was responsible for the Obama Administration’s Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and the OECD Internet Policymaking Principles. Weitzner has been a leader in Internet public policy from its inception, making fundamental contributions to the successful fight for strong online free expression protection in the United States Supreme Court, and for laws that control government surveillance of email and web browsing data. Weitzner is a founder of the Center for Democracy and Technology, led the World Wide Web Consortium’s public policy activities, and was Deputy Policy Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, recipient of the International Association of Privacy Professionals Leadership Award (2013), the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (2016), a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

History of Employment

Position
Division
Organization
Start
End
Founding Director
Internet Policy Research Initiative
MIT
2015
Present
3Com Founders Principal Research Scientist
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
2020
Present
3Com Founders Senior Research Scientist
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
2022
Present
Principal Research Scientist
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1998
2020
US Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy
Office of Science and Technology Policy
White House
2011
2012
Associate Administrator for Policy
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
US Department of Commerce
2009
2011
Member
Obama Biden Transition Team
2008
2009
Visiting Professor
Electronics and Computer Science
University of Southampton
2006
2009
Founder and Director
Decentralized Information Group
MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
2005
2009
Visiting Free Speech Professor
Department of Information Sciences and Media Studies
University of Bergen
2008
2008
Technology and Society Policy Director
World Wide Web Consortium
1998
2006
Visiting Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of Maryland College Park
2004
2004
Co-Founder and Deputy Director
Center for Democracy and Technology
1994
1998
Deputy Policy Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1991
1994
Primary Policy Areas

Civil Rights and Liberties, Commerce, Consumer Protection, Criminal Justice/Justice, Defense, Economy, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, Infrastructure, National Security, Nonprofit/Philanthropy, Trade

Primary Sector of Expertise

Academic

Primary Functions

Academic Faculty, Information Technology, Intergovernmental, Organizational Structure/Design/Development