Allan Friedman

Allan Friedman is the Director of Cybersecurity Initiatives at National Telecommunications and Information Administration in the US Department of Commerce.

Prior to joining the Federal government, Friedman was a noted cybersecurity and technology policy researcher. His interdisciplinary approach combined computer science, public policy, and social sciences, exploring a broad spectrum of policy issues including privacy and telecommunications. With over a decade of experience in cybersecurity research, his expertise encompasses economic, market, and trade aspects of the field. He co-authored the book "Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know," published by Oxford University Press in 2014.

Friedman's career has bridged the technical and policy research realms effectively. From 2014 to 2015, he served as a Research Scientist at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at George Washington University, focusing on cybersecurity policy. Before this role, he was a Fellow at the Brookings Institution where he also held the position of research director for the Center for Technology Innovation. Earlier in his career, Friedman conducted significant research as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Harvard University Computer Science department, concentrating on cybersecurity policy, privacy-enhancing technologies, and the economics of information security. He was also a Fellow at the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, contributing to the Minerva Project for Cyber International Relations, and has received fellowships from both the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and the Harvard Program on Networked Governance.

He holds a degree in Computer Science from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University.