In Memoriam: Barry Steinhardt
Barry Steinhardt, a lifelong privacy champion and an early leader in the battle for digital civil liberties who served as EFF’s president in 1998-99, died last week at age 73. A Connecticut native, Steinhardt led the Vermont and Pennsylvania affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union before becoming associate director of the national ACLU. There, he helped spearhead the fight to overturn…
Barry Steinhardt, a prominent privacy advocate and a key figure in the digital civil liberties movement, passed away last week at the age of 73. Steinhardt, a Connecticut native, began his career as a leader in the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), serving as president in 1998-99 and later founding the ACLU’s Program on Technology and Liberty.
He played a pivotal role in the fight to overturn the Communications Decency Act, leading to the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Reno v. ACLU in 1997. Steinhardt's expertise in the intersection of technology and privacy made him one of the first attorneys to specialize in this area, and he continued to contribute to the field after leaving the ACLU, working as a senior advisor to Privacy International.
His influence on technology and civil liberties was recognized by EFF Executive Director Nicole Ozer, who praised his role as a mentor and his impact on the law and policy of the digital world.
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