Peter Dengate Thrush appointed to Washington Advocacy Group

Peter Dengate Thrush has been appointed to the Advisory Council of the prestigious Washington DC-based Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT).

CDT plays a leading role in free speech, privacy, internet governance and architecture issues affecting democracy and civil liberties on the global Internet.

"I am excited to be engaging with and assisting CDT at a time when many key principles of freedom on the Internet are being tested around the globe" said Mr Dengate Thrush.

"I've long admired the work CDT does in this crucial area of preserving privacy and individual liberties on the Internet. I look forward to contributing to the work of a great team."

CDT President and CEO, Nuala O'Connor said "the best policy outcomes happen when all voices engage in an honest, constructive dialogue. We are honoured to have Peter Dengate Thrush lend his expertise to CDT. "He's a true champion of the open and free Internet, having demonstrated throughout his career his commitment to safeguarding the rights of the individual online. I'm incredibly grateful for his support in advancing our mission."

Mr Dengate Thrush is the former chair of InternetNZ and of ICANN, and has been active for more than 20 years in developing Internet's institutions, policies and governance standards.

CDT was formed in 1994 under the leadership of Jerry Berman, whose Citizens Internet Empowerment group argued the 1996 case before the US Supreme Court that held the Communications Decency Act unconstitutional, and the Internet deserving of higher free speech protections than other electronic media.

Its mission drives CDT to: "Preserve the unique nature of the Internet; Enhance freedom of expression globally; Protect our fundamental right to privacy; Limit government surveillance; Define the boundaries of technology in our daily lives."

Recently, CDT has worked on the IANA functions transition at ICANN, filed an amicus brief supporting Apple in the FBI case following the San Bernadino shootings, and filed comments on the UK Parliamentary Committee report into UK Parliament's Draft Investigatory Powers Bill, in which they explicitly opposed any government effort to require encryption backdoors..