Cindy Cohn can remember using punched cards for computing during her college years in Iowa. She can tell you about watching the rise of the internet and home computing with her techie friends in San Francisco. 

She can also recall the times she’s stood in court, working to protect someone’s right to put encrypted code on the internet, or the fight against the NSA’s mass surveillance system after 9/11 and the Patriot Act.

Cohn has led the Electronic Frontier Foundation for 25 years. That’s a non-profit that advocates for privacy and free speech. 

This year, she announced she is leaving her role, but not before putting out a memoir she hopes will inspire others to take up the work… 

GUEST: Cindy Cohn, author of Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.

RELATED LINKS:
Cindy Cohn | Town Hall Seattle - Tues 3/17
Privacy's Defender - Cindy's Book
Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights | WIRED
The Big Idea: Cindy Cohn

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Cindy Cohn&nbsp;can remember using punched cards for computing during her college years in Iowa. She can tell you about watching the rise of the internet and home computing with her techie friends in San Francisco.&nbsp;
She can also recall the times she&rsquo;s stood in court, working to protect someone&rsquo;s right to put encrypted code on the internet, or the fight against the NSA&rsquo;s mass surveillance system after 9/11 and the Patriot Act.
Cohn has led the Electronic Frontier Foundation for 25 years. That&rsquo;s a non-profit that advocates for privacy and free speech.&nbsp;
This year, she announced she is leaving her role, but not before putting out a memoir she hopes will inspire others to take up the work&hellip;&nbsp;
GUEST: <a href="https://www.eff.org/about/staff/cindy-cohn">Cindy Cohn</a>, author of Privacy&rsquo;s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.
RELATED LINKS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://townhallseattle.org/event/cindy-cohn/">Cindy Cohn | Town Hall Seattle</a> - Tues 3/17</li>
<li><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262051248/privacys-defender/">Privacy's Defender</a> - Cindy's Book</li>
<li><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/eff-cindy-cohn-stepping-down/">Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights | WIRED</a></li>
<li><a href="https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/03/12/the-big-idea-cindy-cohn/">The Big Idea: Cindy Cohn</a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside&nbsp;is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

Can we still have private conversations if we live our lives online? EFF's Cindy Cohn discusses her new book, "Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance"