Daniel Weitzner
Daniel J. Weitzner (Danny) is the Founding Director of the MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative and holds the 3Com Founders Senior Research Scientist chair at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. He teaches Internet public policy in MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department.
Weitzner's career has spanned civil society, academic and government. He leads research on accountable systems to improve privacy in large-scale data analytics platforms and is developing new methods for quantitative cyber risk measurement. During the COVID pandemic, he co-led a cross-disciplinary team which pioneered the COVID-19 exposure notification protocol, later implemented by Apple and Google in hundreds of millions of smartphones around the world.
Weitzner was United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy in the White House where he led government-wide initiatives on privacy, cybersecurity, copyright, and digital trade policies promoting the free flow of information. He was responsible for the Obama Administration’s Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and the OECD Internet Policymaking Principles. Weitzner is co-founder and General Chair of the newly created ACM Annual Symposium on Computer Science and Law.
Weitzner has been a leader in Internet public policy from its inception, making fundamental contributions to the successful fight for strong online free expression protection in the United States Supreme Court, opposing technologically unwise regulation of encryption technology, and for laws that protect the privacy of email and web browsing data against government surveillance. He was a leading proponent and drafter of Section 230 of the US Communications Act, known as the “the 26 words that made the Internet.”
Weitzner is a founder of the Center for Democracy and Technology, led the World Wide Web Consortium’s public policy activities, and was Deputy Policy Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He is Co-founder the General Chair of the annual ACM Symposium on Computer Science and Law. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (2019), was awarded the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (2016), is recipient of the International Association of Privacy Professionals Leadership Award (2013), and is member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Board Member, Ethyca
Advises on technical strategy and governance approaches that bridge privacy engineering, standards, and public policy realities for enterprise-scale systems.
2025 - Present3Com Founders Senior Research Scientist, MIT CSAIL
Leads research on accountable systems and privacy and security architectures, with a focus on making governance computable and auditable.
2006 - PRESENTFounding Director, MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative
Built a cross-disciplinary program advancing Internet policy research at the intersection of engineering, law, and institutional design.
2012 - PRESENTU.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy, The White House
Led national initiatives on privacy, cybersecurity, copyright, and trade policy supporting the free flow of information.
2011 - 2012Danny brings a uniquely credible blend of deep technical research and real-world policy leadership. For Ethyca, his perspective reinforces the company’s position as serious infrastructure for privacy and AI governance, grounded in standards, accountability, and rigorous systems thinking. His presence on the board signals to enterprise engineering leaders and regulators that Ethyca is building for durability, auditability, and long-term trust.