TechFreedom is pleased to announce that Ari Cohn has joined its team of lawyers dedicated to defending the freedoms that make technological progress possible. As our first Free Speech Counsel, Ari will cover the broiling debate over how the First Amendment applies online, and whether intermediaries should bear greater legal responsibility for content they host — and for their refusal to host objectionable content. 

Ari is an experienced First Amendment and defamation attorney based in Chicago. A native of Skokie, Illinois, he developed an interest in First Amendment issues at an early age, and has dedicated his career to protecting civil liberties from government intrusion. Prior to opening his own practice, Ari served as director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where he defended the free speech rights of students and faculty members at colleges and universities and co-authored amicus briefs to state and federal courts across the country on vital First Amendment issues. Before joining FIRE, Ari was a litigation associate at the Chicago office of Mayer Brown LLP, where he represented multinational businesses in high-stakes commercial litigation.

“Coming from a family of tech enthusiasts and early adopters, I’ve always been inspired by how technological progress can enhance the way we live and the way we engage with one another,” Cohn said. “I’m thrilled to be joining the talented team at TechFreedom to help ensure that civil liberties are respected and to prevent unwarranted government intrusion from stifling innovation.”

Ari gives presentations to diverse audiences around the world about the importance of the First Amendment. He also regularly comments on First Amendment and tech policy issues in the press, appearing in national and international television and radio broadcasts as well as in various print and online publications. Ari received his J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School. He also holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

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Ari may be contacted at acohn@techfreedom.org. Follow him on Twitter at @AriCohn. As a TechFreedom Adjunct Fellow, he has written and spoken regularly about intermediary liability and free speech:

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