Chris Conley Email & Phone Number

I am an attorney and technologist who works to ensure that data and technology are used to benefit society as a whole by advancing the public interest while protecting individual rights and civil liberties. I have spent most of my career with the ACLU protecting the rights of individuals, particularly the marginalized or disadvantaged, from exploitative effects of technology. However, I still believe that technology offers solutions to many of the most challenging problems our society faces.I have found the greatest success in my career by combining my own legal and technical skills with the expertise and energy of others who can bring a wide range of perspectives and expertise to bear on complex issues. As one of the leaders of a coalition effort to enact the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (arguably the most comprehensive regulation of government access to electronic information in the world), I oversaw legislative language drafting, coordinated support among coalition members, negotiated with legislators and opponents, and marshaled a broad base of support including both corporations and the general public. I have also leveraged my technical skills more directly, writing a "Facebook Quiz About Facebook Quizzes" to provide users with first-hand experience with the information provided to third-party developers of Facebook apps as part of successful advocacy efforts to improve Facebook privacy practices. And I have worked with our team to launch a now-nationwide effort to restrict and oversee the use of face recognition and other surveillance technology by local law enforcement agencies. I am also eager to take on new challenges and continue to grow professionally and personally. In the fall of 2019 I was asked on short notice to teach a course in Cybersecurity Law & Policy at Boston University School of Law, which required me to draw on the experience of colleagues to launch the course but also taught me how to lead a dynamic session balancing my prepared objectives and the interests and questions of the students. I have also increased my participation in litigation, most recently by jointly authoring a brief arguing that the blanket imposition of electronic surveillance conditions on minors on probation violated California law, and then successfully arguing for that position before the California Supreme Court. I look forward to the next chapter of my career, and my role in the ongoing challenge of ensuring that technology serves as a force for growth in our society.