Christopher Soghoian

Dubbed the "Ralph Nader of the Internet" by Wired and one of Politico's top "thinkers, doers and visionaries transforming American politics," Christopher Soghoian is "the most prominent of a new breed of activist technology researchers" (The Economist), "who have risen to prominence by showing how tedious technical flaws can affect ordinary people."

Soghoian is the Senior Technologist and Senior Advisor for Privacy & Cybersecurity in the office of Senator Ron Wyden. He was previously a TechCongress Innovation Fellow. Between 2012 and 2016, Soghoian was the Principal Technologist with the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Before that, he was a technologist in the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Division on Privacy and Identity Protection. He is a TED Senior Fellow.

Through his research and advocacy, Soghoian has exposed the US government's use of StingRay cell phone surveillance technology, the FBI's impersonation of journalists, and the FBI's use of malware. Soghoian has testified before the European Parliament, the German Parliament, and state legislatures in Texas, Washington and Michigan. Soghoian's research has been cited by several Federal and state courts, including by the D.C., 7th, 9th, and 10th Circuit Courts of Appeal, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, and the State Supreme Courts of New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Soghoian completed his Ph.D. at Indiana University in 2012, which focused on the role that Internet and telephone companies play in enabling government surveillance of their customers.