Kian Vesteinsson
Senior Research Analyst, Technology and Democracy
Kian is Senior Research Analyst for Technology and Democracy. He project manages and covers Asia for Freedom on the Net , Freedom House’s annual assessment of internet freedom, and previously covered sub-Saharan Africa and western Europe for the publication. Before joining Freedom House, Kian was Senior Law and Tech Policy Officer at Human Rights Watch, where he staffed the office of the General Counsel and contributed to research and advocacy on human rights and technology around the world, focusing on surveillance in the United States. Previously, he worked on digital privacy, police technology, and national security surveillance at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Kian holds a B.A. in Politics and Religious Studies from Pomona College.
Freedom House reports
Freedom on the Net 2022: Countering an Authoritarian Overhaul of the Internet (co-author)
Freedom on the Net 2021: The Global Drive to Control Big Tech
Freedom on the Net 2020: The Pandemic's Digital Shadow
Selected publications
Chinese Protesters and the Global Internet Need Each Other in the Diplomat (with Angeli Datt) — January 13, 2023
Southeast Asia’s Leaders Should Work Toward a Freer Internet in Just Security — November 10, 2022
What Twitter's lawsuit against the Indian government could mean for global free expression in the Los Angeles Times (with Allie Funk) — July 16, 2022
Rejecting the past, Marcos Jr. must uphold free speech in the Southeast Asia Glob e (with Lisa Garcia) — May 23, 2022
Digital distortion presents an electoral threat in the Philippines in the Southeast Asia — April 5, 2022
Der Traum von freden Netz ("The Dream of a Free Internet") in Kulturaustausch — January 2022
Zambia’s ‘New Dawn’ should extend to digital rights in the Daily Maverick (with Bulanda T. Nkhowani) — December 1, 2021
Nigeria's Twitter Ban is a Bellwether Case for Internet Freedom in Just Security — June 24, 2021
India’s TikTok Ban Tightens the Government’s Grasp on the Internet in the Diplomat — July 30, 2020
