Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn

Fighting for a Better Online World with Cindy Cohn

From The Babblery by Suki Wessling

May 19, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

Cindy Cohn discusses her book 'Privacy’s Defender' and the implications of privacy and freedom of speech for women online.

Cindy Cohn’s new book, Privacy’s Defender, focuses on three legal cases that formed the basis for privacy and freedom of speech on the Internet. But it’s also a memoir, framing the issues raised by legal battles through personal choices and life events both mundane and momentous. In this unusual conversation, we leave the big legal questions behind and focus instead on our modern lives on the internet. What do women get from privacy and freedom of speech when men so often use their own privacy and freedom of speech to restrict women’s online behavior? How does the internet mirror the real world when it comes to harassment and bullying of women? How would proposed fixes to the internet’s free speech woes restrict women’s speech even further?

People in this episode

Host: Suki Wessling

Guest: Cindy Cohn

Topics covered

  • privacy
  • freedom of speech
  • women's rights
  • internet culture
  • harassment
  • legal cases

Keywords

  • privacy
  • freedom of speech
  • Cindy Cohn
  • internet harassment
  • women's rights
  • legal battles
  • online behavior

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Privacy’s Defender

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