jan.rydzak09[at]gmail.com
Hello! I work at the intersection of research and communication on digital technologies and their effects on society, politics, and human rights. My work revolves around technology and human rights, with a focus on corporate accountability as well as extreme forms of information control such as network shutdowns.
I am currently the Digital Transformation Lead at the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), overseeing the Digital Inclusion Benchmark and Ranking Digital Rights teams. Before joining WBA, I led engagement with companies and investors at Ranking Digital RIghts (RDR), a project that sets detailed, global human rights standards for tech companies and telcos, and evaluates them empirically on their performance on those standards. RDR joined WBA in early 2024. Prior to that, I served as Associate Director for Program at Stanford University's Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPi). I've also worked with international organizations, civil society groups, and a multi-stakeholder initiative.
I finished my PhD in Government & Public Policy at the University of Arizona in 2018. My dissertation was titled A Total Eclipse of the Net: The Dynamics of Network Shutdowns and Collective Action Responses. I received an MA in Modern Languages in 2011 and an MA in Government & Public Policy in 2014. I am fluent in Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, and French and maintain a strong side interest in languages, having translated several books and more academic articles than I can count.
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Follow me on X-Twitter at @ElCalavero. For collaboration or media inquiries, please contact me.
Thank you!