Thirty years. That’s how long Cindy Cohn has been locked in hand-to-hand combat with the federal government over something most of us take for granted: the right to have a private thought, a private conversation, a private life—all while living entirely online.
And on April 13 and 14, she’s bringing that fight to Washington D.C.
The Woman Who Said ‘No’ to the Feds (Repeatedly)
Cohn isn’t some abstract policy theorist. She’s argued before federal judges. She’s stared down surveillance architects in the NSA. She’s held the line while tech companies bent. Her new book, Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance, is part memoir, part legal roadmap—and it’s landing at a moment when the internet feels less like a commons and more like a panopticon.
Two events in D.C. will give you access to her directly. The first, hosted by the American Association of Public Broadband and the EFF on Monday, April 13 at Busboys & Poets (6:30 p.m.), pairs Cohn with AAPB Executive Director Gigi Sohn. The second, on Tuesday, April 14 at the True Reformer Building (6:00 p.m.), brings Chelsea Horne, a senior lecturer at American University, into conversation with Cohn under the banner of Women in Security and Privacy.
Here’s what matters: both events grapple with a question that keeps privacy lawyers awake at night.
Can You Actually Have Privacy When You Live Online?
This isn’t rhetorical. It’s the question. And Cohn’s spent three decades proving that the answer isn’t automatically ‘no’—but it requires someone to fight for it.
“Privacy’s Defender is a compelling account of a life well lived and an inspiring call to action for the next generation of civil liberties champions.” — Edward Snowden
That endorsement comes from someone who knows. Snowden blew open the NSA’s mass surveillance apparatus in 2013. Cohn was fighting similar battles long before the revelations, and she’s been fighting them harder ever since. The difference between Snowden’s moment and ours? Then, surveillance felt like a government problem. Now it’s baked into every app, every device, every platform interaction.
The second D.C. event zeros in on federal access to data and digital rights. Chelsea Horne’s involvement signals that this isn’t just about historical grievances—it’s about what comes next, what Washington is plotting, what you should be preparing for.
Why Now? Why D.C.?
Timing is everything. We’re in a moment where AI systems are vacuuming up human data at scale, where encryption is under siege, where the government is fishing for backdoor access to encrypted communications (again), and where even the companies claiming to care about your privacy are monetizing everything about you.
Cohn’s perspective—hardened by decades of fighting the same battles in new costumes—is genuinely rare. She’s not a lobbyist angling for compromise. She’s someone who has watched patterns repeat and is trying to arm the next generation to break them.
The book proceedings go straight to the EFF, the organization Cohn leads. That’s not corporate virtue signaling. The Electronic Frontier Foundation actually does the legal work—the lawsuits, the filings, the unglamorous grinding that keeps civil liberties from sliding further into the dark.
The Bigger Picture
What’s striking about Cohn’s timing isn’t the events themselves—it’s what they represent. Privacy isn’t trendy right now. AI is. Regulation is. But privacy is the substrate everything else sits on. You can’t have actual consent without privacy. You can’t have genuine autonomy without it. You can’t have democracy without the ability to think, communicate, and organize outside the panopticon.
Cohn has been saying this for 30 years. Washington is finally starting to listen. The question is whether the listening comes before the damage gets permanently locked in.
If you’re in D.C. on April 13 or 14, clear your calendar. If you’re not, follow the tour—Cohn will be hitting other cities. The book itself is essential reading. And if you’re an EFF member (or thinking about becoming one), you can grab a copy as your annual gift.
The fight isn’t over. In fact, it’s accelerating. Cohn’s just making sure you know what you’re fighting for.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cindy Cohn’s book Privacy’s Defender about? It’s a 30-year memoir of Cohn’s legal battles against digital surveillance, from fighting the federal government to protecting data security and civil liberties online. Part memoir, part legal history for general readers.
Where are the Privacy’s Defender book events in D.C.? Two events: April 13 at Busboys & Poets (2021 14th St NW) at 6:30 p.m., and April 14 at the True Reformer Building (1200 U St NW) at 6:00 p.m. Both feature Cindy Cohn in conversation with other privacy experts.
Can I buy the Privacy’s Defender book, and where does the money go? Yes, it’s on sale now. All proceeds benefit the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading digital civil liberties nonprofit. EFF members can also preorder it as their annual membership gift.
