Gus Hosein

Gender Male
Age
Region North America
Nationality Canada / USA
Residence United Kingdom
Languages English (fluent), French (good)
Nominated by
Endorsed by Privacy and Security WG

Personal statement

I bring together the research strand of civil society, usually linked with academia, with the advocacy strand of civil society, usually associated with non-governmental organizations. I work for Privacy International (PI), a London-based watchdog organization that acts as a watchdog on government and industry initiatives that hamper and curtail individual civil liberties. At PI I direct a programme on monitoring the development of anti-terrorism policies around the world, and international policy dynamics. We have a long track record on a number of issues that may be of interest to the Working Group, including international agreements on surveillance, the regulation of trans-border data flows, and policy dynamics and the effects upon national and local deliberation.

Through Privacy International, I also work with NGOs from around the world on issues relating to international conventions and agreements on data protection, privacy, free expression, and other technology policies. Most recently, I have led actions by NGOs on: the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, on the European Union initiatives at harmonizing data protection regimes, and the International Civil Aviation Organization and its initiatives on secure travel documents. I have also monitored developments at the G8 and educated NGOs of their implications, and advised international organizations on challenges raised by technological and political developments, most recently the OSCE and UNESCO.

All of my work with NGOs is based upon policy research developed through my work with academia. I lecture to graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Information Systems and the London School of Economics and Political Science. I hold the honourary position of Visiting Fellow, which allows me to keep up to date on the latest research and theory developments to help us make sense of the developments in our midst. I am able to share my research with the wider academic community, at the same time with my students.

In short, I have the ability to combine my experiences in academia and advocacy to provide substantive input to the WGIG process. I have a track record of providing thorough policy analyses, and of reaching out to civil society organizations to inform our collective understandings.

Privacy International is an international NGO. I am also a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Information Systems at the London School of Economics. I was a founder of the European Digital Rights (EDRi.org). I am an advisor to the American Civil Liberties Union, and a member of the Social Science Research Council research network on Global Governance. As a result, I have links with both the advocacy and research strands of civil society.

I have advised the information-security working group over the past year and half, with the help of Karen Banks.

I am a Canadian and an American, living in London. I have a good understanding of French, with advanced reading and listening comprehension.