Headshot of Nicole A. Ozer

Nicole A. Ozer

Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Democracy

Bio

Nicole Ozer is a national leader in cutting-edge law and policy to advance rights, justice, and democracy and a legal expert on artificial intelligence, privacy and surveillance, and digital speech. Ozer’s innovative work in the courts, in communities, with companies, and policymakers passes landmark laws, wins civil rights cases, and builds power for national and international change.

Ozer spearheaded the passage of the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA) and California Reader Privacy Act. She designed groundbreaking surveillance reform strategies now used across the United States and created and led the national online privacy campaign, Demand Your dotRights. She helped craft the Santa Clara Principles on content moderation and develop and lead a global coalition successfully fighting face surveillance. She is frequently called upon for expert testimony, keynote presentations, and commentary in the press, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Univision, AP, BBC, NPR, PBS, Today Show, Good Morning America, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal.

Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy at UC Law San Francisco, Ozer was the founding Director of the Technology and Civil Liberties Program at the ACLU of Northern California and developed and led the ACLU’s statewide work in California to defend and promote rights in the modern digital world for more than 20 years. Ozer was also a Technology and Human Rights Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, a Fellow at the Stanford Digital Civil Society Lab, a Visiting Researcher at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, and an intellectual property attorney at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco.

Ozer graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College, studied comparative civil rights history at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and earned her J.D. with a Certificate in Law and Technology from Berkeley Law.

Honors

Ozer has been honored with the Fearless Advocate Award by the American Constitution Society, the Privacy Award by the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, and the James Madison Freedom of Information Award by the Society of Professional Journalists. Ozer has been recognized as a top Artificial Intelligence Lawyer by the Daily Journal, twice recognized as a Woman Leader in Tech Law by the California Legal Awards, and San Jose Magazine selected her as one of 20 “Women Making a Mark” in Silicon Valley. Ozer was also honored in 2025 with a California Senate Members Resolution for unwavering dedication to defending and promoting civil liberties in the digital world, invaluable contributions to people throughout California, and meritorious service to humanity.

Service

Ozer is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Standing Committee of the California Lawyers Association, a Founding Board Member and current Advisory Board member of the Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society, and Vice President of the Berkeley Law Alumni Association. Ozer was also Co-President of her law school class and proudly served in the Summer of Service, the pilot program for the AmeriCorps National Service program.

Education

  • University of California, Berkeley School of Law
    J.D., Certificate in Law and Technology     2003

  • Amherst College
    B.A. magna cum laude, American Studies with concentrations in Black Studies and Sociology     1997

Selected Scholarship

Links

Expertise