Nicole Ozer is the Technology and Civil Liberties Director for the ACLU of Northern California and has led the organization’s cutting-edge work in California to defend and promote rights in the modern digital world since 2004. Nicole sets the strategic vision for the Technology and Civil Liberties Program and its statewide team and implements an integrated advocacy approach that coordinates work in the courts, in communities, with companies, and policymakers to drive access, equity, and justice in the digital age.
Nicole is a nationally recognized expert on legal issues at the intersection of civil rights, technology, and democracy, including privacy and surveillance, AI, IP, and online speech. Nicole spearheaded the passage of the landmark California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) and California Reader Privacy Act, designed groundbreaking surveillance reform strategies used across the country (now called CCOPS), and also developed the ACLU’s national online privacy campaign, Demand Your dotRights. She is frequently called upon for testimony, presentations, and media appearances.
Nicole has been honored with the Privacy Award by the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology and the James Madison Freedom of Information Award by the Society of Professional Journalists. The Daily Journal recognized Nicole as a top Artificial Intelligence Lawyer. The Recorder has twice recognized Nicole as a Woman Leader in Tech Law and recognized the Technology and Civil Liberties Program as a finalist for Tech Litigation Department of the Year. San Jose Magazine also selected Nicole as one of 20 "Women Making a Mark" in Silicon Valley.
Nicole graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College, studied comparative civil rights history at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and earned her J.D. with a Certificate in Law and Technology from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.