Kelly, Sanja

Sanja Kelly is the project director for Freedom on the Net, Freedom House’s assessment of global internet freedom, which has become one of the most widely- referenced sources on the topic. In that capacity, she provides analysis on internet freedom-related issues—such as content censorship, internet regulation, and surveillance—and manages a team of over 50 international consultants, most of whom are internet activists, scholars specializing in internet freedom and governance, and online journalists from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe.

Due to the nature of her work, she would bring to MAG the voices of civil society groups involved in internet freedom in different parts of the world. Her expertise in freedom of expression, as it relates to the internet, would also be of great benefit to MAG, particularly as those issues gain more prominence in the IGF context.

In addition to her research and publications, Sanja is a frequent speaker on the topics of internet freedom and regulation. She was a participant in the Dutch ministerial meeting on internet freedom (Hague, December 2011), OSCE’s special meeting on internet regulation (Vienna, July 2011), and the UN Human Rights Council. She also presented on a panel at GigaNet/IGF in Nairobi, and was one of the leaders of the Freedom House-sponsored delegation to IGF, which was comprised of 15 civil society representatives from around the world.

In addition, Sanja is often interviewed by domestic and international media and her analysis has appeared on BBC Radio, Fox News, CNN, ABC News, and other outlets. She has published numerous country reports and articles, as well as edited books on the topics of internet freedom, women’s rights, and democratic governance. She has also conducted briefings for tech companies on internet freedom developments globally that may have impact on their business operations.