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 research focuses on technology and human rights, with a special focus on companies as well as extreme forms of information control such as network shutdowns and other information blackouts. I am currently the Company and Investor Engagement Manager at Ranking Digital Rights, a project that sets detailed, global human rights standards for tech companies and telcos, and evaluates them empirically on their performance on those standards. I have previously worked with international organizations, civil society groups, and a multi-stakeholder initiative. Before coming to RDR, I served as Associate Director for Program at Stanford University's Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPi).
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 also founder and director of Saguaro Language Labs, through which I have translated multiple books and academic articles, building on more than a decade of experience in translation. I am fluent in Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, and French and maintain a strong side interest in languages and cultures.
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Follow me on Twitter at @ElCalavero. For collaboration, media inquiries, or translations, please contact me.
Thank you!