Cindy Cohn is the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), having previously served as legal director and general counsel. The nonprofit was established to promote internet civil liberties and Cohn first became involved in 1993, when she served as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, a successful First Amendment challenge to US export restrictions on cryptography.
Cohn has frequently been recognized for her work and influence protecting freedom and civil liberties. Most recently, she was named to TheNonProfitTimes’ 2020 Power & Influence Top 50 list, and in 2018 Forbes named her one of America's Top 50 Women in Tech. The National Law Journal named Cohn one of 100 most influential lawyers in America in 2013, noting: "[I]f Big Brother is watching, he better look out for Cindy Cohn." In addition, the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California awarded her its Intellectual Property Vanguard Award in 2010, and in 2012 the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded her the James Madison Freedom of Information Award.
