Defending Digital Civil Liberties in the Internet’s Infancy
Barry Steinhardt, a pioneering champion of digital civil liberties and early leader who served as president of the Electronic Frontier Foundation from 1998 to 1999, died last week at the age of 73. A Connecticut native, Steinhardt began his advocacy by leading the Vermont and Pennsylvania affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union before stepping into the role of associate director at the national organization. During the internet’s early days, he became one of the first attorneys to specialize in the intersection of technology and privacy. In that capacity, he helped spearhead the legal fight to overturn the Communications Decency Act, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1997 ruling in Reno v. ACLU, which affirmed crucial free speech protections online.
Transitions Between the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Steinhardt took a temporary leave of absence from the ACLU in early 1998 to lead the Electronic Frontier Foundation as its president, steering the organization through a critical juncture in digital rights advocacy before returning to the ACLU in 1999. Upon his return, he established the ACLU’s Program on Technology and Liberty in 2002 to further safeguard individual freedoms against rising digital surveillance. After eventually retiring from the ACLU, he extended his international influence on data protection by serving as a senior advisor to London-based Privacy International.
Barry Steinhardt was a visionary privacy & digital rights champion, helping create the ACLU's Technology & Liberty Program & was on @privacyint board, among his many accomplishments. Barry understood that all of our freedoms are at risk in the digital era, and over decades of…
Advising International Cybercrime Policy and National Standards
Steinhardt’s reach extended across numerous high-level panels and advisory boards addressing complex technological policies. He chaired the 2003 Computer Freedom and Privacy Conference and lent his expertise to the Department of Transportation’s Negotiated Rule Making on national driver’s license standards. His public service also included joining the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Census and the Blue Ribbon Panel on Genetics of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Additionally, he was selected as a member of the U.S. delegation to the G-8 Government and Private Sector Tokyo conference on Cyber Crime and served as an advisor to the Czech Helsinki Committee.
Reflecting on a Legacy of Anti-Surveillance Strategy
“Barry led many critical technology and civil liberties fights and was an important mentor to me and others in the field,” said EFF Executive Director Nicole Ozer. Ozer added that Steinhardt’s influential work across strategy to defend and advance privacy rights made a lasting mark on the law and policy of the digital world, protecting people across the United States and globally.
Questions Regarding the Future of Digital Privacy Protection
What significant Supreme Court case did Barry Steinhardt help challenge? Steinhardt helped lead the legal fight against the Communications Decency Act, which resulted in the Supreme Court’s landmark Reno v. ACLU ruling in 1997. What specialized program did he establish at the ACLU? Upon returning to the ACLU in 1999, he founded its Program on Technology and Liberty in 2002. What international organization did he advise after retiring from the ACLU? He served as a senior advisor to London-based Privacy International.
