Cindy Cohn | |
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.jpg) Cindy Cohn photographed in Berkeley, California, in 2014 | |
| Born | 1963 or 1964 (age 61–62) United States |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts/Science, The University of Iowa Doctor of Jurisprudence,University of Michigan London School of Economics |
Cindy Cohn (born 1964 or 1965[1]) is anAmerican civil libertiesattorney specializing inInternet law. She has served as executive director for theElectronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) since 2015. Cohn representedDaniel J. Bernstein and the EFF inBernstein v. United States.
Cohn received her undergraduate degree at theUniversity of Iowa and theLondon School of Economics and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from theUniversity of Michigan.[2]
In 1997, Cohn was recognized byCalifornia Lawyer Magazine as one of the "Lawyers of the Year" for her work. After serving for 15 years as legal director andgeneral counsel[3] for theElectronic Frontier Foundation, she became its executive director in 2015.[4][5]
In addition to Bernstein, some of Cohn's significant cases includeHepting v. AT&T (class action against AT&T for collaborating with theNational Security Agency program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications),In re Sony BMG Tech. litigation (class action againstSony BMG for placing dangerousdigital rights management (DRM) on customers' computers),OPG v. Diebold (Diebold was held liable for sending out unfounded cease and desist notices tointernet service providers (ISPs) in an effort to stop public discussion of the flaws in itselectronic voting machines), andDVD CCA v. Bunner[6] (representing Andrew Bunner against theDVD Copy Control Association defending his right to republish a computer program that he found republished elsewhere on the Internet).[7]
In September 2025, Cohn announced she would be stepping down as EFF executive director by mid-2026.[1][8]
In 2006, Cohn was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by theNational Law Journal. In November 2018, she was featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" byForbes.[9] Cohn also serves on the board of directors of the nonprofitsHuman Rights Advocates[citation needed] and theVerified Voting Foundation.[10]
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