Alan Davidson
Associate Director; The Center for Democracy and Technology
Alan Davidson is Associate Director at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), a Washington D.C. non-profit group working to promote civil liberties and human rights on the Internet and other new digital media. Mr. Davidson leads CDT's Internet free expression and digital copyright projects, and has testified before Congress, written, and spoken widely on the civil liberties implications of computer security, encryption, and other Internet policy issues. He also leads CDT's efforts to promote democratic values and individual rights within new domain name, Internet governance, and technical standards bodies.
Mr. Davidson works broadly on issues relating to Internet policy including free speech and censorship, broadband access, Internet standard-setting, and international jurisdiction. From 1997 to 2000 he led CDT's multi-year campaign to promote widespread availability of strong encryption security technologies. His other research interests lie generally in civil liberties and the special problems posed by the interaction of technology, public policy, and the law.
Mr. Davidson is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University's program in Communications, Culture, and Technology, where he currently teaches a graduate seminar on the policy implications of Internet technical architecture.
Mr. Davidson was a computer scientist before entering the policy world. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he received an S.B. in Mathematics and Computer Science and an S.M. in Technology and Policy. Mr. Davidson worked as a Senior Consultant at Booz-Allen & Hamilton, designing the information systems for NASA's Space Station Freedom Project. He has also worked on technology and policy issues at the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment and for the White House Office of Policy Development.
Mr. Davidson attended law school at Yale, where he was Symposium Editor of the Yale Law Journal. He remains active in MIT alumni affairs, and has served as a Trustee of the MIT Corporation.
Appearances
- State of the Net Conference 2005 February 9, 2005
- Digital Rights Management Tools: Whose Rights Are Being Managed? April 3, 2003
Biography last updated May 15, 2003