Elonnai Hickok has contributed to the digital rights field for 15 years through international
policy initiatives, and has presented worldwide on issues of digital rights and emerging technology, as well as the counterbalancing of governmental and individual interests and rights. Elonnai serves as a current co-chair of the Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network, and has researched and written extensively on issues relating to privacy, cybersecurity, surveillance, intermediary liability, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
This interview originally appeared in GNI’s Annual Report 2024. Explore the report here.
- Your experience with GNI started by representing a CSO member and has evolved a couple of times since then. Since joining the staff in a leadership role in 2022, you have seen GNI reach key milestones. What reflections do you have on the organization’s growth and evolving role in a shifting tech policy landscape, and how has your perspective guided this progress?
I have had the privilege of engaging with GNI in multiple capacities, first as a member, then as an alternate Board member, and now as Managing Director. Across all these roles, I’ve seen GNI grow as a unique space that fosters connection across sectors, builds bridges between stakeholders, and brings diverse voices together to advance human rights in the digital age. At the heart of GNI’s work is our vibrant, global membership, which comprises voices from companies, civil society, academia, and investors across various geographies who bring a diverse range of experiences, expertise, and visions to the table. In 2024, we welcomed members from across Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, MENA, and North America.
My experience has deeply informed my perspective on utilizing the power of networks like GNI to build relationships needed to catalyze change. GNI is uniquely positioned to amplify local and national priorities and perspectives to global spaces, while at the same time highlighting the ongoing gaps in evidence and expertise from the Global Majority that persist in shaping and informing the norms and frameworks that govern technology.
With the guidance of our new Chair and Vice Chair, Vicky Bowman and Usama Khilji, GNI has prioritized strengthening member engagement, elevating local and regional voices, and ensuring that our work remains relevant, effective, and grounded in human rights.
We strategically expanded our team with the addition of Min Aung as Accountability Manager and Hilary Ross as Program Lead. Like me, they both have prior experience working with GNI members – Min with Telenor and Hilary with the Berkman Klein Center. We have made GNI’s processes more inclusive by opening eligibility for participation in our assessment process to all members, supporting participation from members in the Global Majority, and hosting our first in-person members’ meeting —a space we hope to continue providing.
- In a rapidly changing regulatory landscape, how does GNI’s multistakeholder approach help companies and other stakeholders build resilient accountability frameworks?
In response to a multitude of regulatory changes and government practices, including mandatory due diligence, GNI continued to refine its assessment framework, enabling member companies to navigate complex government regulations and requests while increasing transparency and accountability around these scenarios. By opening GNI’s assessment process, access to which was previously limited to Board members, to our Accountability Committee, we are expanding participation, allowing a more diverse range of expertise and perspectives, and in the process helping companies gain deeper insights, informed by ground realities across a growing number of Global Majority geographies.
GNI helps its members anticipate risks, understand ground realities, and assess the impact of government requests and restrictions. Our multistakeholder approach to accountability is unique in fostering dialogue among companies, civil society, academics, and investors. In doing so, GNI encourages more resilient and responsive accountability frameworks. As the technology and policy landscape continues to evolve, it’s more important than ever for GNI to stay grounded in the human rights principles on which we were founded, the multistakeholder accountability we advocate for, and the collective voice through which we speak.
- What are some key insights GNI has gained from engaging on global regulatory trends as well as emerging regulatory regimes outside of Europe and North America, such as in Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific? In this context, what opportunities and challenges do you see for multistakeholder collaboration amid an increasingly fragmented internet environment?
Throughout 2024, we responded to regulatory developments in a wide range of countries, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Senegal, Brazil, and Hong Kong. The expertise of our Global Majority membership has helped us explore nuances of trends like the Brussels effect, including how some governments are intentionally choosing approaches that diverge from the path set by governments in North America and Europe.
We have continued to observe shifts toward securitization and sovereignty, particularly in the context of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I am excited about the work we began on documenting government interventions in AI and their impact on human rights, a topic we highlighted in our 2024 Annual Learning Forum and a perspective that has been underrepresented in the discourse on AI.
Meanwhile, platform regulation has expanded across contexts in response to concerns such as disinformation, hate speech, cybercrime, and extremism. While some regulatory approaches focus on transparency, risk assessments, and stakeholder engagement, others aim for stricter control over digital technologies through measures like internet shutdowns, in-country data localization, or heavy penalties for non-compliance. We have also seen and responded to the use of traditional and new forms of informal government pressure on companies. The increase in national regulations targeting digital technologies raises the risk of internet fragmentation but also underscores the importance of multistakeholder initiatives like GNI in promoting policies based on international human rights standards to ensure coherence across regulatory frameworks.
At the international level, our participation in processes such as the UN’s Global Digital Compact and the NetMundial+10 highlighted the importance of protecting the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. It clarified that this principle should not be assumed or taken for granted. Our advocacy around the UN Cybercrime Convention focused on the need to ensure that international agreements uphold the highest standards of human rights. We have reinforced these messages through our leadership in international, multistakeholder spaces, such as the Freedom Online Coalition Advisory Network, the Christchurch Call Advisory Network, and the OECD Expert Group on AI Risk and Accountability.
Together, our policy work and that of our members have served as another sobering reminder that opportunities for civil society to participate in policy processes freely and equally are under pressure both nationally and internationally. Still, through a network of trusted relationships, we have sought ways to support one another, build resilience, and promote a positive vision for the future of the Internet.
- How does GNI’s approach to funding influence its ability to adapt and advance its strategic priorities in a rapidly evolving digital rights landscape?
Looking ahead, GNI will continue to grow as a space built on trusted relationships, where members can come together, despite their differences, to find common ground and shared solutions. These relationships are vital as we navigate rapid changes in technology, geopolitics, and society.
Our approach to funding is central to our organizational vision. In 2024, GNI piloted stakeholder engagement as a new area of focus. This work presents both a new revenue source and a way to foster trusted interactions between companies and human rights organizations. I am proud of this work and the various forms it is taking – from helping a company navigate the complexities of a context like Myanmar to examining risk assessments under the Digital Services Act with VLOPs & VLOSEs, academia, and civil society at our in-person European Rights and Risks Forum. By diversifying our support and aligning our fundraising with our strategic priorities, we have been able to build more inclusive spaces, expand our reach into underrepresented regions within the network, and respond to emerging issues.