Written Work & Testimony

Throughout Nuala O’Connor’s career - as the President and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), in her leadership roles at Amazon, Walmart, and General Electric, as a member of boards including the Society for the Rule of Law - her written work has focused heavily on emerging technologies, privacy, digital rights, and ethical artificial intelligence.

Op-Eds and Public Articles

  • "Why Offensive Countermeasures Weaken Our Cybersecurity": An article published in CIO Review arguing against the legality and safety of private corporate "hack-back" tactics. Link to full article.

  • "A Plea for (Digital) Privacy": A piece written for the Las Vegas Review-Journal advocating for the reform of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) to protect digital files and emails from warrantless searches. Link to full article.

  • "Customers Won't Trust Companies with Their Data if the Government Has Easy Access": A policy perspective featured via Slate exploring the international legal ramifications of U.S. data warrants on overseas data centers. Link to full article.

Congressional Testimonies & Policy Reports

During her five-year tenure leading the CDT, she authored several influential formal reports and testimonies regarding corporate and government data tracking:

  • "Policy Principles for Consumer Privacy Legislation": A comprehensive 2019 framework submitted to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce outlining rules to prevent data-driven discrimination. Link to full article.

  • "Examining the Consumer Privacy Framework": A 2018 written testimony for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation detailing corporate data governance and stakeholder trust. Link to full testimony.

  • DHS Original Privacy Report: While serving as the first Chief Privacy Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, she authored a foundational, critical report concerning the government's use of private-sector data in national security efforts. Link to full article. Link to full article.

  • “Report to the Public on Events Surrounding jetBlue Data Transfer”:  A 2004 finding and recommendation written while serving as Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of Homeland Security. Link to full article.