Mark Surman

Mark Surman
Mark Surman at re:publica 10, 2016
Born (1969-02-20) February 20, 1969 (age 55)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
OccupationExecutive director of the Mozilla Foundation
SpouseTonya Surman (divorced)
ChildrenTristan Surman (1999) Ethan Surman (2002)
Surman's voice
recorded August 2017
Websitemarksurman.commons.ca

Mark Surman is a Canadian open internet activist and the president and executive director of the Mozilla Foundation.[1] He is a leading advocate for trustworthy AI,[2] digital privacy,[3] and the open internet.[4] Before joining the Mozilla Foundation, Mark spent more than 15 years leading organizations and projects promoting the use of the internet and open source for social empowerment in many countries around the world.

Surman is also an active board member, currently serving as an advisory board member of the McMaster University Masters in Public Policy, Digital Society program,[5] the co-chair of the steering committee for the European AI Fund,[6] and a board member for the Mozilla Foundation.[7]

Surman's writing has appeared in The Washington Post,[8] CNN.com,[9] The Globe and Mail,[10] Chronicle of Philanthropy,[11] MIT's Innovations,[12] and Fast Company.[13] In 2005, Mark published the book Commonspace: Beyond Virtual Community.[14] with Prentice Hall.

  1. ^ "Mozilla Leadership Page". Mozilla Foundation. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  2. ^ Surman, Mark. "Mozilla's Vision for Trustworthy AI". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  3. ^ Surman, Mark; Bednar, Vass (January 12, 2021). "Digital privacy law is being updated for the first time in decades, and it's imperative we get it right". CBC.
  4. ^ "CBC Spark: Internet health as a social issue". CBC Radio. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  5. ^ "People". McMaster Faculty of Social Sciences. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  6. ^ "Who we are | European AI Fund". Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  7. ^ Baker, Mitchell. "Mark Surman joins the Mozilla Foundation Board of Directors". The Mozilla Blog. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  8. ^ Surman, Mark (October 7, 2015). "Smartphone users in emerging markets deserve better than a watered-down Internet". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  9. ^ Surman, Mark (February 18, 2016). "Mozilla chief: FBI snooping at Apple 'back door' makes you less safe". CNN. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  10. ^ Surman, Mark (December 18, 2013). "What did you learn out of school today?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  11. ^ Ibargüen, Alberto; Surman, Mark & Walker, Darren (February 11, 2015). "Philanthropy Must Jump-Start a Digital Revolution for the Common Good". Chronicle of Philanthropy. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  12. ^ Surman, Mark; Gardner, Corina & Ascher, David (December 31, 2014). "Local Content, Smartphones, and Digital Inclusion". Innovations. 9 (3–4): 63–74. doi:10.1162/inov_a_00217. S2CID 57566389.
  13. ^ Davidson, Cathy & Surman, Mark (August 8, 2012). "Why Web Literacy Should Be Part of Every Education". Fast Company. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  14. ^ Wershler-Henry, Darren Sean; Surman, Mark (January 2001). Commonspace: Beyond Virtual Community. ISBN 0130893617.