Not so long ago, it was easy to get caught up in the triumphalism of the rise of big technology in our lives, including in democracy. Allie Funk researches the complex and evolving role technology plays in democracy at home and around the world.

Funk leads Freedom House’s technology and democracy initiative, including Freedom on the Net, an annual survey and analysis of internet freedom around the world, Election Watch for the Digital Age, which tracks the intersection of elections, internet platforms, and human rights around the world and advocacy to protect a free and open internet. She also represents Freedom House on the Freedom Online Coalition’s Advisory Network, and serves on the Global Network Initiative’s Board of Directors. Her writing has been published in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, WIRED, Lawfare, the Hill, the Diplomat, and Just Security, among others. Prior to joining Freedom House, Funk worked at the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on issues relating to reforming U.S. surveillance practices, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, and protecting the right to counsel, and also worked with Human Rights First’s foreign policy team.