Aza Raskin | |
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Born | California, United States | February 1, 1984
Education | University of Chicago (BS) |
Occupation(s) | interface designer, entrepreneur, writer |
Organization | Center for Humane Technology |
Known for | Reportedly developing infinite scrolling |
Parents |
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Aza Raskin (born February 1, 1984) is the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology[1] and of the Earth Species Project.[2] He is also a writer, entrepreneur, inventor, and interface designer.[3][4][5] He is the son of Jef Raskin, a human–computer interface expert who was the initiator of the Macintosh project at Apple.
Raskin is an advocate for the ethical use of technology, and has been critical of the effects that modern technology has on everyday lives and society.[6] In the podcast Your Undivided Attention, along with Tristan Harris, Raskin has talked extensively about the power of information technology and the dangers it potentially poses to modern society.[7][8]
Raskin coined the phrase, "freedom of speech is not freedom of reach,"[9][10] which was the title of an article that he wrote with Renée DiResta.[11] The phrase is now widely used to refer to the large-scale implications of platform amplification and free speech. For example, it was publicly quoted by the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, and was used by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to help explain the rationale for banning political advertisements on Twitter.[12][13]
Raskin has continued his father's work on project Archy, has worked as the head of user experience at Mozilla Labs and as lead designer for Firefox, and has founded a number of companies. More recently, he has collaborated on virtual reality projects[14] and on zooming user interface (ZUI).[15]