Brett Solomon

Brett Solomon is the co-founder and Executive Director of the organisation Access Now.

As the Executive Director and co-founder of Access Now, Brett Solomon leads the organisation’s fight to defend and extend the digital rights of users at risk around the world. He oversees the high-level strategy for Access Now’s programmatic portfolio, is responsible for the organisation’s growth and operations, and heads up the global team numbering over a hundred staff.

Brett Solomon has represented Access Now at numerous national and international fora, including at the United Nations and at Davos, and is often quoted in the media including in the New York Times and on the BBC. As a skilled and experienced advocate, he has been an important leader in several campaigns and coalitions at the intersection of human rights and new technology. He has given two TED Talks, on digital democracy and on the right to peaceful protest. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Data Policy and Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Internet.

Brett Solomon is also the founder of RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, which every year convenes thousands of experts, activists, technologists, and leaders from government, the private sector, and civil society. Before Access Now, Brett Solomon honed his skills at a range of human rights and civil society organisations including Avaaz, GetUp, Oxfam Australia, and Amnesty International Australia. Brett Solomon has a Bachelors in Arts and Law from the University of Sydney and a Masters in International Law at the University of New South Wales.

Speaking events

Listen to Brett Solomon speak at the conference

18 Nov2:41 pm - 3:05 pm

Session 2: Democratic Values In a Digital Future  

Following the first session, this session introduces a geopolitical perspective on the issue of tech, democracy, and human rights. We find ourselves between one side working for a more democratic global governance of technological development, and on the other side the global rise of authoritarianism becoming increasingly more digital.

The opening keynote by Eileen Donahoe will address the issue of the rising geopolitical tensions anchored in the technological development, and what democratic states need to do differently in charging the way forward for a democratic digital future and to combat the spread of digital authoritarianism. Then, in a fireside chat, participants will address the role and responsibilities of civil society and tech companies in navigating this new geopolitical landscape. How do we build in democratic values in the development, dissemination and application of new technologies?
18 Nov2:41 pm - 3:05 pm

Session 2: Democratic Values In a Digital Future  

Following the first session, this session introduces a geopolitical perspective on the issue of tech, democracy, and human rights. We find ourselves between one side working for a more democratic global governance of technological development, and on the other side the global rise of authoritarianism becoming increasingly more digital.

The opening keynote by Eileen Donahoe will address the issue of the rising geopolitical tensions anchored in the technological development, and what democratic states need to do differently in charging the way forward for a democratic digital future and to combat the spread of digital authoritarianism. Then, in a fireside chat, participants will address the role and responsibilities of civil society and tech companies in navigating this new geopolitical landscape. How do we build in democratic values in the development, dissemination and application of new technologies?
Speakers
  • Journalist Ikenna Azuike is a lawyer, journalist and the host of the Tech for Democracy conference 2021.
    Ikenna Azuike
  • Brett Solomon is the co-founder and Executive Director of the organisation Access Now.
    Brett Solomon
  • Niels Tanderup Kristensen is the Director of Global Affairs at the tech-company cBrain.
    Niels Tanderup Kristensen
  • Eileen Donahoe is working with digital and cyber policies at Stanford University.
    Eileen Donahoe
  • Maria-Francesca Spatolisano is the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, UN DESA.
    Maria-Francesca Spatolisano