
Adrian Shahbaz
Director, Technology and Democracy
Adrian Shahbaz is the Director for Technology and Democracy at Freedom House, where he heads the organization's research and policy on human rights in the digital age. He is a lead author for Freedom on the Net, an annual report on global internet freedom, as well as the founder of Election Watch for the Digital Age, a data-driven initiative tracking the risk of censorship, disinformation, and violence ahead of national elections.
A frequent commentator in the media, Adrian has appeared on or been quoted by the New York Times, BBC, CNN, C-SPAN, and many global outlets. Prior to joining Freedom House in 2013, he was a researcher at the UN Department of Political Affairs, European Parliament, and OSCE. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
Featured Reports:
Information Isolation: Censoring the COVID-19 Outbreak
False Panacea: Abusive Surveillance in the Name of Public Health
User Privacy or Cyber Sovereignty: Assessing the Human Rights Implications of Data Localization
Governments Harness Big Data for Social Media Surveillance
The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism
Manipulating Social Media to Undermine Democracy
Silencing the Messenger: Communication Apps under Pressure