Dear colleagues,
Like Robin Gross, I have also nominated myself for consideration by
the WSIS-Internet Governance Caucus as a candidate to the IGF-MAG.
I would gladly welcome an endorsement from the WSIS Human Rights
Caucus if appropriate.
Thank you for your consideration.
- Name: Cédric Laurant
- Name of nominator: Cédric Laurant (self-nomination)
- Nationality: Belgian
- Country of residence: United States
- Gender: Male
- Short Bio relevant to IG:
Cédric Laurant is an attorney and international privacy policy
expert in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. He is
the Director of the International Privacy Project, and Policy
Counel since 2001, with the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. that
was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil
liberties issues and to protect privacy, freedom of expression and
constitutional values. EPIC pursues a wide range of activities,
including policy research, public education, conferences,
litigation, publications, and advocacy. Cédric has advised policy
makers on international privacy issues and comparative policy and
legal aspects of privacy regimes in Europe, the United States and
Canada, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. He has
testified before the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament. He
is actively participating to the negotiation of the APEC Privacy
Framework and its implementation scheme. He is the main editor of
"Privacy and Human Rights" 2003, 2004 and 2005, EPIC's
comprehensive international survey of privacy laws and developments
in the world.
Cédric has organized coalitions with several NGO's around the world
on issues of global significance for the right to privacy. He
coordinated EPIC's advocacy actions within three international
coalitions of consumer privacy and human rights advocates around
the world (the WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus, the Global
Internet Liberties Campaign and the Trans Atlantic Consumer
Dialogue). He also organized conferences on consumer protection
and emerging international privacy issues in Europe, Latin America
and Africa. He is a member of the Asia-Pacific Privacy Charter
Council and the International Working Group on Data Protection in
Telecommunications. Through EPIC, he is active within several
organizations, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC).
Cédric recently chaired a parallel event at the Tunis Summit in
November 2005 to discuss the importance of the right to privacy in
the development of the Information Society. He also spoke at the
September 2003 WSIS PrepCom meeting in Geneva to launch EPIC's
annual survey "Privacy and Human Rights." He has made several
presentations on the implications for privacy of the WSIS and post-
WSIS negotiations.
Cédric holds a licence en droit (law degree) from the University of
Louvain (Belgium), a Master of Laws from Columbia University School
of Law (New York, US), a European Master of Arts in Science,
Technology and Society (London), and a Diploma in Print and
Broadcast Journalism (Brussels). He is licensed to practice law in
the District of Columbia and is a member of the D.C. Bar. Cédric
is a native French speaker, fluent in English and Spanish, and
proficient in Dutch and Portuguese.
- Why the (self)nominee is a good choice for the MAG
As an active member of the WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus
since 2002, and willing to serve on the MAG, Cédric Laurant will be
able to help the IGF put into practice, in the information society
context, the interrelation and interdependence of all human rights,
especially the right to privacy. Cédric Laurant has been working
to protect privacy at an international level since 1999 and has
developed a thorough understanding of the key policy and legal
privacy issues in the online world and especially at an
international level. He has been an active participant of both
phases of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) and is
a participant of the WSIS Human Rights Caucus. His experience as a
civil society observer at several international fora where privacy
and other human rights topics have been discussed, and his legal
background in both European civil law and US common law, make him a
particularly good candidate to help deal with privacy and civil
liberties issues in the context of WSIS and in line with the WSIS
Civil Society Human Rights caucus recommendations.
Willingness to serve on MAG: Confirmed
--
Cedric Laurant, Policy Counsel
Director, International Privacy Project
Electronic Privacy Information Center
1718 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 200
Washington, DC 20009 - U.S.A.
Tel: +1 (202) 483-1140 (x114)
Fax: +1 (202) 483-1248
<chlaurant@epic.org>
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epic.org - privacy.org - thepublicvoice.org
gilc.org - observingsurveillance.org
