Cindy Cohn


Cindy Cohn is an American civil liberties attorney specializing in Internet law. She has served as executive director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation since 2015. Cohn represented Daniel J. Bernstein and the EFF in Bernstein v. United States.

Education

Cohn received her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa and the London School of Economics and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Michigan.

Law career

In 1997, Cohn was recognized by California Lawyer Magazine as one of the "Lawyers of the Year" for her work. After serving for 15 years as legal director and general counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, she became its executive director in 2015.
In addition to Bernstein, some of Cohn's significant cases include Hepting v. AT&T, In re Sony BMG Tech. litigation, OPG v. Diebold, and DVD CCA v. Bunner.
In September 2025, Cohn announced she would be stepping down as EFF executive director by mid-2026.

Awards and honors

In 2006, Cohn was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. In November 2018, she was featured among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech" by Forbes. Cohn also serves on the board of directors of the nonprofits Human Rights Advocates and the Verified Voting Foundation.