Peter Eckersley (computer scientist)

Peter Eckersley
Photographic portrait of Peter Eckersley on a San Francisco Street at twilight
Eckersley in March 2022
Born1978[1] or 1979[2]
Melbourne, Australia
Died (aged 43 or 44)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Resting placeCryopreserved at Alcor Life Extension Foundation
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne (PhD)
Occupations
Known for
Scientific career
ThesisDigital Copyright & The Alternatives: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry (2012)
Websitepde.is

Peter Daniel Eckersley (1978[1] or 1979[2] – 2 September 2022[3]) was an Australian computer scientist, computer security researcher and activist. From 2006 to 2018, he worked at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, including as chief computer scientist and head of AI policy.[4][5][6] In 2018, he left the EFF to become director of research at the Partnership on AI, a position he held until 2020.[7][8] In 2021, he co-founded the AI Objectives Institute.[9]

While at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Eckersley started projects including Let's Encrypt, Privacy Badger, Certbot, HTTPS Everywhere, SSL Observatory and Panopticlick.[1] Eckersley was an outspoken advocate on topics including internet privacy, net neutrality and the ethics of artificial intelligence.[3] In 2023, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.[10]

  1. ^ a b c Hagerty, James R.; McMillan, Robert (9 September 2022). "Peter Eckersley Helped Encrypt Internet Traffic to Foil Snoops". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b Ducklin, Paul (4 September 2022). "Peter Eckersley, co-creator of Let's Encrypt, dies at just 43". Naked Security. Sophos. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022. [...] he turned just 43 shortly before midsummer's day this year
  3. ^ a b Cohn, Cindy (5 September 2022). "Honoring Peter Eckersley, Who Made the Internet a Safer Place for Everyone". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
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  10. ^ "Champions of Internet Security, Accessibility, and Global Connectivity: 2023 Internet Hall of Fame Inductees Announced" (Press release). Internet Society. PR Newswire. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.