Brett Solomon

Bio

Brett Solomon is a Senior Research Fellow with the Human Rights Center. He is the co-founder of Access Now, where as executive director for 15 years to 2024, he led the organization’s fight to defend and extend the digital rights of users at risk around the world. In that role, he oversaw the high-level strategy for Access Now’s programmatic portfolio and directed the organization’s policy, advocacy and technology across the world.

As an expert at the intersection of human rights and new technology, Brett presents at numerous national and international fora, including the United Nations and the World Economic Forum. Brett has briefed the UN Security Council on hate speech and incitement to genocide online. He is a skilled and experienced advocate and analyst, he has been an important leader in several human rights and new technology campaigns, coalitions, and initiatives. He is an expert network member of the Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Body on AI. He is also on the Tech Policy Design Center Advisory Board at the Australian National University.

Brett has given two TEDx Talks on digital democracy and on the right to peaceful protest in the digital age. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Data Policy and the Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Internet. Brett is also the founder of RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, which annually convenes over 8,000 academics, experts, activists, technologists, and leaders from government, the private sector, and civil society.

Brett honed his skills for over ten years at a number of human rights and civil society organizations including Avaaz, GetUp, Oxfam Australia, and Amnesty International Australia. Brett has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney and a Master of Laws (International Law) from the University of New South Wales.