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John is the Head of School at Phillips Academy, Andover.  He serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Knight Foundation.  He also serves as a Board member of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, the Boston Athenaeum, and MIT Press.

John’s research and teaching focus on new media and learning.  He has written extensively on Internet law, intellectual property, and the potential of new technologies to strengthen democracies locally and around the world.  He is the author or co-author of several books, including Safe Spaces, Brave Spaces: Diversity and Free Expression in Education (MIT Press, 2017); Born Digital: How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age (Basic Books, revised edition, 2016) (with Urs Gasser); BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google (Basic Books, 2015); Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems (Basic Books, 2012) (with Urs Gasser); Intellectual Property Strategy (MIT Press, 2012); and Access Denied: The Practice and Politics of Global Internet Filtering (MIT Press, 2008), Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2010) and Access Contested: Security, Identity, and Resistance in Asian Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2012) (all co-edited).

John served previously as the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School.  At the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, he served as executive director from 2002-2008 and has continued on as a faculty director since then. John came back to the Harvard Law School from the law firm Ropes & Gray, where he worked on intellectual property, Internet law, and private equity transactions. He also served as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton administration.  He previously served as the founding President of the Board of Directors of the Digital Public Library of America.  He also served as a venture executive at Highland Capital Partners.  He previously served on the Board of Directors of the Mass2020 Foundation, the Ames Foundation, Data + Society Research Institute, School Year Abroad, Open Knowledge Commons, and LRNG, among others.  John was a Visiting Professor of Information Law and Policy at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland for the 2007-2008 academic year.

John graduated from Harvard College, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard Law School.  He was a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar to the University of Cambridge.  He received the U.S. EPA Gold Medal (highest national award).

(Last updated Winter, 2019)


Projects & Tools

Harvard Open Access Project

The Harvard Open Access Project (HOAP) fosters the growth of open access to research, within Harvard and beyond.

Digital Public Library of America

The DPLA empowers people to learn, grow, and contribute to a diverse and better-functioning society by maximizing public access to our shared history, culture, and knowledge.

StopBadware.org

StopBadware works with its network of partner organizations and individuals to fight back against viruses, spyware, and other badware.

Youth and Media

Youth and Media (YaM) encompasses an array of research, advocacy, and development initiatives around youth (age 12-18) and digital technology.

Past

Berkman Online Lecture and Discussion (BOLD) Series

We offer computer-mediated seminars through our interactive Berkman Online Lecture and Discussion (BOLD) series. Topics have included intellectual property and privacy on the…

Past

Blogging Common

Blogging Common seeks to capture and present the spirit and wisdom of the blogosphere by surveying bloggers around the globe.

Born This Way Foundation Partnership

The Born This Way Foundation has partnered with the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and The Berkman Center at Harvard to explore the best…

Circumvention

The Berkman Center's Circumvention project is engaged in designing and conducting research aimed at gaining a broad understanding of the usage of circumvention tools.

Past

Cloud Computing

Led by Executive Director and Harvard Law School Professor of Practice, Urs Gasser, the Berkman Center's cloud computing initiative seeks to identify and evaluate the challenges…

Past

Copyright for Librarians

The Berkman Center partnered with eIFL to deliver a distance learning program on copyright for librarians. The resulting curriculum, made available on March 24, 2010, can be used…

DDoS research project

The DDoS research project seeks to understand the ways in which DDoS attacks are becoming a popular technique for limiting access to independent media and human rights sites…

Digital Media Project (DMP)

The goal of the Digital Media Project is not to advance a simple agenda but instead to help educate stakeholders – government officials, the media, artists, businesspeople, and…

Past

E-Publishing Models

With the generous support of the Revson Foundation, the E-Publishing Models Project is focused on exploring current issues associated with digital publishing business models and…

Past

eInnovation and ICT Interoperability

This project aims to achieve a better understanding of interoperability—that is, the ability of entities such as software, devices, or components to exchange information—in the…

Past

Global Network Initiative

In partnership with the Center for Democracy and Technology and Business for Social Responsibility, in addition to leading human rights groups, academic institutions, socially…

Past

Impact of the Internet on Russian Politics, Media, and Society

With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, the Berkman Center is undertaking a two-year research project to investigate the role of the Internet in Russian society.

Past

Input to ICANN Accountability and Transparency Review Process

The Berkman Center conducted an independent, exploratory study analyzing ICANN’s decision-making processes and communications with stakeholders.

Past

Internet and Democracy

The Internet and Democracy Project is an initiative that will examine how the Internet influences democratic norms and modes, including its impact on civil society, citizen media,…

Internet Law Program (iLaw)

Taught by world-renowned experts in the field, the Berkman Klein Center’s Internet Law Program addresses the most pressing cyberlaw issues being debated by lawmakers in the U.S…

Past

Interoperability

In early June 2012, Urs Gasser and John Palfrey released Interoperability: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems. The book is inspired by their 2005 study and…

Past

Media Re:public

Media Re:public is a research project that examines the current and potential impact of participatory news media.

Noank Media

Noank's mission is to license and distribute digital content globally while fairly compensating content owners, using the most efficient, sustainable, and effective business and…

Past

Open ePolicy Group

We formed the Open ePolicy Group in February 2005 with members from every region of the world to share insights from governments, companies and organizations at the forefront of…

OpenNet Initiative

A collaborative project between the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto; the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University; and…

Past

Surveillance

The Surveillance project is drawing a map of the different forms and impacts of surveillance online. Funded by the MacArthur Foundation and run in collaboration with our partner…

The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series

The Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series (danah boyd and John Palfrey, editors), is presented by the Born This Way Foundation & the Berkman Center for Internet and…

Youth-Oriented Online Hate Speech / Viral Peace

Leveraging its national and global networks, the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is forming a first-of-its-kind thematic network of experts,…


Publications

Publication
May 19, 2021

Planning for the Next Pandemic

A Global, Interoperable System of Contact Tracing

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser argue that COVID-19 testing and tracing systems need to work within and across geographic and political boundaries.

Apr 28, 2016

Born Digital [2016; Revised and Expanded]

How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age

The first generation of children who were born into and raised in the digital world are coming of age and reshaping the world in their image. Our economy, our politics, our…

Publication
Jul 6, 2015

Interoperability in the Digital Ecosystem

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce the publication of a new paper, "Interoperability in the Digital Ecosystem." The paper builds upon our previous interoperability work,…

Publication
Jul 29, 2012

E-books in Libraries: A Briefing Document developed in preparation for a Workshop on E-Lending in Libraries

This briefing document was developed with helpful inputs from industry stakeholders and other practitioners in preparation for the “E-Books in Libraries” workshop, hosted on…

Publication
Jun 5, 2012

Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems

In Interop, technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser explore the immense importance of interoperability—the standardization and integration of technology—and show how this…

Publication
May 31, 2012

Interoperability in Information Systems in the Furtherance of Trade

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of…

Publication
May 31, 2012

Fostering Innovation and Trade in the Global Information Society: The Different Facets and Roles of Interoperability

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of…

Publication
May 31, 2012

Mapping Cloud Interoperability in the Globalized Economy: Theory and Observation from Practice

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of…

Publication
Mar 20, 2012

Mapping Russian Twitter

Drawing from a corpus of over 50 Million Russian language tweets collected between March 2010 and March 2011, the Berkman research team created a network map of 10,285 users…

Mar 2, 2012

Exploring Russian Cyberspace: Digitally-Mediated Collective Action and the Networked Public Sphere

This paper summarizes the major findings of a three-year research project to investigate the Internet’s impact on Russian politics, media and society. We employed multiple methods…

Feb 29, 2012

Final Report: Symposium on Youth Meanness & Cruelty

As part of the official launch of the Born This Way Foundation, The Symposium on Youth Meanness and Cruelty took place at Harvard Law School on February 29th, 2012. Generously…

Publication
Feb 28, 2012

What You Must Know to Help Combat Youth Bullying, Meanness, and Cruelty

In order to empower youth to create a kinder and braver world, we must begin by making sure that youth are safe. Youth are not safe when they are being bullied, harassed, or…

Nov 3, 2011

Access Contested: Security, Identity, and Resistance in Asian Cyberspace

"Access Contested: Security, Identity, and Resistance in Asian Cyberspace," edited by Ronald J. Deibert, John G. Palfrey, Rafal Rohozinski and Jonathan Zittrain.

Oct 7, 2011

Intellectual Property Strategy

In this book, intellectual property expert and Harvard Law School professor John Palfrey offers a short briefing on intellectual property strategy for corporate managers and…

Publication
Aug 18, 2011

International Bloggers and Internet Control

Infringements on Internet freedom, particularly through Internet filtering and surveillance, have inspired activists and technologists to develop technological counter-measures,…

Publication
Aug 18, 2011

The Evolving Landscape of Internet Control

A Summary of Our Recent Research and Recommendations

Over the past two years, we have undertaken several studies at the Berkman Center designed to better understand the control of the Internet in less open societies. In this paper,…

Publication
Aug 18, 2011

2011 Circumvention Tool Evaluation

Given the rising awareness of the potential of the Internet as a political space and increasing government control over the space, it is easy to understand the widespread interest…

Publication
Aug 18, 2011

International Bloggers and Internet Control: Full Survey Results

This document includes the full survey results for the Berkman Center’s International Bloggers and Internet Control survey.

Publication
Dec 20, 2010

2010 Report on Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

This paper evaluates the impact of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on independent media and human rights sites in nine countries, as well as the broader impact of…

Publication
Dec 9, 2010

Political Change in the Digital Age: The Fragility and Promise of Online Organizing

In this paper, we discuss the possible impact of digital technologies in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes.

Oct 18, 2010

Public Discourse in the Russian Blogosphere: Mapping RuNet Politics and Mobilization

This paper is the first release from the Berkman Center's Russian Internet research project. It analyzes the Russian blogosphere, with an emphasis on politics and public affairs.

Publication
Oct 14, 2010

2010 Circumvention Tool Usage Report

This paper evaluates the usage of blocking-resistant circumvention tools, simple web proxies, and VPN services and finds that overall usage of circumvention tools is still very…

Publication
Jun 15, 2010

Working Towards a Deeper Understanding of Digital Safety for Children and Young People in Developing Nations

An Exploratory Study by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, in Collaboration with UNICEF

This paper's main objectives are: to raise awareness about issues related to digital safety for youth in developing nations; to provide a tentative map of these issues and give…

Publication
Apr 29, 2010

Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace

"Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace," edited by Ronald J. Deibert, John G. Palfrey, Rafal Rohozinski and Jonathan Zittrain, with a foreword by…

Publication
Apr 28, 2010

How the COPPA, as Implemented, Is Misinterpreted by the Public: A Research Perspective

Statement to the United States Senate, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Statement by danah boyd, Urs Gasser, and John Palfrey, urging consideration of the gap between the intentions of COPPA and how children and their parents perceive its…

Publication
Apr 12, 2010

Youth, Privacy and Reputation (Literature Review)

The scope of this literature review is to map out what is currently understood about the intersections of youth, reputation, and privacy online, focusing on youth attitudes and…

Publication
Feb 24, 2010

Response to FCC Notice of Inquiry 09-94 “Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape”

The response synthesizes current research and data on the media practices of youth, focusing on three main areas -- 1) Risky Behaviors and Online Safety, 2) Privacy, Publicity and…

Publication
Jun 16, 2009

Mapping the Arabic Blogosphere: Politics, Culture and Dissent

This case study is part of a series produced by the Internet and Democracy project. It analyzes the composition of the Arabic blogosphere and its possible impact on political and…

Publication
May 1, 2009

Youth, Creativity, and Copyright in the Digital Age

This paper describes research findings that show young people operate in the digital realm overwhelmingly ignorant of the rights, and to a lesser degree the restrictions,…

Publication
Mar 5, 2009

2007 Circumvention Landscape Report: Methods, Uses, and Tools

A large variety of different projects have developed tools that can be used to circumvent Internet filtering, allowing people in filtered countries access to otherwise filtered…

Publication
Jan 14, 2009

Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies

Final Report of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking of State Attorneys General of the United States

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force was created in February 2008 in accordance with the "Joint Statement on Key Principles of Social Networking Safety" announced in January…

Publication
Dec 27, 2008

The Public and the Private at the United States Border with Cyberspace

In the twenty-first century, a state can come to know more about each of its citizens via surveillance than ever before in human history. Some states are beginning to exercise…

Dec 18, 2008

Media Re:public: News and Information as Digital Media Come of Age

Overview paper, issues, case studies

A series of papers exploring the potential and the challenges of the emerging networked digital media environment.

Publication
Sep 1, 2008

Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

Based on original research and advancing new theories, leading internet and technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser offer a sociological portrait of the 'Born Digital'…

Publication
Mar 13, 2008

Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering

Book Description, from Amazon: Many countries around the world block or filter Internet content, denying access to information--often about politics, but also relating to…

Oct 31, 2007

Case Study: DRM-Protected Music Interoperability and eInnovation

This report – representing one of three case studies that are part of a transatlantic research project aimed at exploring the potential relation between ICT Interoperability and…

Oct 31, 2007

Breaking Down Digital Barriers: When and How ICT Interoperability Drives Innovation

In this study, we have done a deep-dive on three cases - DRM-protected music, Digital ID, and Mashups in the Web services context - as well as cursory reviews of other narratives…

Oct 31, 2007

Case Study: Digital Identity Interoperability and eInnovation

This paper, one of three case studies in a transatlantic research project exploring the connection between Information and Communication Technology interoperability and…

Oct 31, 2007

Case Study: Mashups Interoperability and eInnovation

The focus of this case study is the relationship between innovation in Web services applications and the interoperability (or interoperability potential) that we see. We conclude…

Publication
Mar 1, 2007

Reluctant Gatekeepers: Corporate Ethics on a Filtered Internet

Corporations are increasingly finding themselves caught in the crosshairs as they are asked by local authorities to carry out censorship and surveillance online. This chapter…

Aug 9, 2006

The Digital Learning Challenge: Obstacles to Educational Uses of Copyrighted Material in the Digital Age

This foundational white paper reports on a year-long study by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, examining the…

Jun 13, 2006

The Move to the Middle: The Enduring Threat of Harmful Speech to Network Neutrality

This paper traces the evolution of thinking about the technical concept of the end-to-end principle and the legal concept of the regulation of the flow of packets across the…

Sep 30, 2005

Catch-As-Catch-Can: A Case Note On Grokster

In summer 2005, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision which is surely destined to play a significant role in the interrelation between law and technology in the coming…

Sep 30, 2005

Stemming the International Tide of Spam: A Draft Model Law

Spammers continue to run circles around the anti-spam police. Dozens of countries have antispam laws on the books, yet enforcement of the statutes is costly, infrequent, and…

Aug 31, 2005

Local Nets: Filtering and the Internet Governance Problem

The Internet filtering problem, on one level, is an unattractive candidate for the Internet governance decision-makers to take up.

Mar 1, 2005

Amicus Brief: MGM vs. Grokster (Supreme Court Case No. 04-480)

In Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., 464 U.S. 417 (1984), this Court held that the manufacture and distribution of technology that is sometimes used to engage…

Jan 7, 2005

Content and Control: Assessing the Impact of Policy Choices on Potential Online Business Models in the Music and Film Industries

The online environment and new digital technologies threaten the viability of the music and film industries' traditional business models. The industries have responded by seeking…

Jun 14, 2004

iTunes: How Copyright, Contract, and Technology Shape the Business of Digital Media - A Case Study

This paper provides an analysis of Apple’s iTunes Online Music Store. The exploratory case study presented in this document is research in progress. Comments and questions are…

May 23, 2004

Amicus Brief: Capitol et al v. Noor Alaujan

For the foregoing reasons, amici suggest that the Court to exercise caution in regard to any aggregate treatment of Defendants and to consider reduced awards in light of the…

Apr 9, 2004

iTunes: How Copyright, Contract, and Technology Shape the Business of Digital Media, Green Paper v 1.2

This Green Paper provides an initial analysis of Apple’s iTunes Online Music Store. The exploratory case study presented in this document is research in progress. Comments and…

Apr 1, 2004

The Accountable Net: Peer Production of Internet Governance

Three problems of online life - spam, informational privacy, and network security - lend themselves to the peer production of governance. Traditional sovereigns have tried and, to…

Jan 9, 2004

The End of the Experiment: How ICANN’s Foray Into Global Internet Democracy Failed

ICANN’s experimentation in running a representative and open corporate decision-making process to manage the domain name system has largely failed. This failure has manifested…

Nov 1, 2003

Copyright and Digital Media in a Post-Napster World

Our objective is to provide a foundation to answer key questions facing copyright holders, technology developers and consumers. Among these: How do we balance the legitimate…


News

News
Feb 22, 2021

Teenage Development & Mental Health in Covid-19

John Palfrey discusses “The Connected Parent”

John Palfrey discusses "The Connected Parent"

Harvard Gazette
Dec 14, 2020

How parents can manage children and their technology use

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey offer advice on how to become a ‘connected parent’ with the Harvard Gazette

News
Nov 16, 2020

‘The Connected Parent’ offers guidance, insight into digital parenting

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser discuss their latest book

News
Apr 10, 2020

Cyberlaw Clinic turns 20

Founded in 1999, the first-of-its-kind clinical program based at the Berkman Klein Center celebrates two decades of perpetual adaptation

Founded in 1999, the first-of-its-kind clinical program based at the Berkman Klein Center celebrates two decades of perpetual adaptation

Jul 2, 2015

John Palfrey on the importance of libraries in the digital information age

By Annie Pruitt

In an age of eBooks, Google, and Smartphones, many have questioned the importance of libraries. John Palfrey ’01, has penned a new book, which he calls “a love letter to libraries…

Jan 16, 2012

Intensive Course on IP and Business Strategy

In the second week of February, 2012, four faculty from Harvard Law School (including Berkman directors Terry Fisher and John Palfrey) and three faculty from Harvard Business…

Dec 2, 2011

Better Data for a Better Internet

The Berkman Center enthusiastically shares an article from Faculty Co-Directors John Palfrey and Jonathan Zittrain on "Better Data for a Better Internet," published in this month…

Nov 14, 2011

John Palfrey's Next Chapter: Onward to the Phillips Academy!

The directors of the Berkman Center wish to extend our warmest congratulations to John Palfrey, our colleague and friend, upon his appointment as the Head of School of the…

News
Nov 2, 2011

Berkman Center to help Lady Gaga Establish Born This Way Foundation

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce that it is collaborating with Lady Gaga, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The California Endowment to launch the…

Oct 13, 2011

RB 184: Intellectual Property — Not Just For Lawyers Anymore

This week on Radio Berkman John Palfrey discusses his new book Intellectual Property Strategy with David Weinberger...

Oct 12, 2011

John Palfrey's new book, "Intellectual Property Strategy," is now available

via the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series

This month, we celebrate the release of John Palfrey's newest book, Intellectual Property Strategy (MIT Press).

May 25, 2011

61st Annual Conference of the International Communication Association

Attending ICA 2011 this week and trying to figure out which sessions to take in? A number of Berkman Center people are also participating in ICA 2011...

Mar 16, 2011

Harnessing technology for social good

[updated April 11]

Last month the Ford Foundation hosted the Wired for Change conference, and a pack of Berkman Center folks, friends, and family were in New York for the event. Ford has posted full…

Dec 20, 2010

Report: "Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Against Independent Media and Human Rights Sites"

The Berkman Center is pleased to share a new report from the DDoS research project: "Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Against Independent Media and Human Rights Sites," in…

Dec 13, 2010

Berkman Center Announces Digital Public Library Planning Initiative

The Berkman Center for Internet and Society today announced that it will host a research and planning initiative for a “Digital Public Library of America.” With funding from the…

Jun 9, 2010

Law.gov workshops on June 17 and 18

Registration is open!

Next Thursday (6/17) and Friday (6/18) the Harvard Law School Library and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society will host two workshops focused on the Law.gov initiative, a…

Oct 22, 2009

Amicus: Net-based scholarship on civil rights and civil liberties

Via John Palfrey: In the spirit of Open Access week and otherwise, Harvard's Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review is today launching a new online publication, Amicus...

Aug 7, 2009

Doc Searls Talks Cluetrain@10

Doc Searls will be talking Cluetrain@10 on KUOW's The Conversation today (12pm PT, 3pm ET)...

Jun 16, 2009

Keeping an Eye on Iran's Post-Election Protests

Berkman Center people and projects have been paying close attention to the role of the Internet and cell phones in the post-election protests in Iran.

News
May 7, 2009

Social media guidelines for law students

Berkman Fellow Gene Koo, who is working with our friends at CALI to build eLangdell : The Legal Ed Commons (a platform for collaboratively creating legal teaching materials), is…

News
Apr 21, 2009

On Remix and Born Digital

book reviews in Science Magazine

The Books et al. section in the current issue of Science features two Berkman Center-related pieces of interest to the wider community. Yochai Benkler considers Lawrence Lessig's…

News
Mar 6, 2009

Debating CDA 230

An exchange between John Palfrey and Adam Thierer concerning tweaking Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was published today in Ars Technica...

Mar 5, 2009

Report release: 2007 Circumvention Landscape Report: Methods, Uses, and Tools

The Berkman Center is pleased to make available its report on techniques and tools for circumventing Internet filtering...

News
Feb 12, 2009

Born Digital in the classroom

PBS Teachers & Classroom 2.0 webinar with John Palfrey

On February 26, John Palfrey will be participating in a virtual conversation with educators about digital natives. We hope you can join in...

Feb 11, 2009

Making (digital) airwaves

This week has been thick with Berkman-related audio: conversations with Judith Donath, John Palfrey, David Hornik, and Esra'a Al Shafei all made their way onto the Net...

Feb 9, 2009

Privacy and truth online

John Palfrey was recently interviewed by James Goodale on two questions: "Does anyone care about privacy anymore?" and "What to do about lies on the internet?"

Aug 25, 2008

Born Digital arrives on bookshelves

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce that Faculty Co-Director John Palfrey and Faculty Fellow Urs Gasser's "Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital…

Aug 19, 2008

Shaping the future of privacy

IAAP's Navigate 2008

John Palfrey and Jonathan Zittrain are in New Hampshire this week for a "think-tank retreat" arranged around key privacy issues and questions...

May 21, 2008

US Senate hearing on "Global Internet Freedom: Corporate Responsibility and the Rule of Law "

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law heard testimony on "Global Internet Freedom: Corporate Responsibility and the Rule of…

Apr 30, 2008

Onward!

John Palfrey named new head of Harvard Law library

With more than a little bit of pride and enthusiasm, we celebrate the appointment of our dear friend and colleague John Palfrey as Harvard Law School's first Vice Dean of Library…

Apr 24, 2008

On a Scale of 1 to 10...

David Weinberger, who has been teaching The Web Difference at HLS this semester with John Palfrey, tells us, "In case you were wondering, we have scientifically determined that…

Mar 20, 2008

Access (still) Denied

Yesterday, OpenNet Initiative Principal Investigators Ron Deibert, John Palfrey, and Jonathan Zittrain spoke about their book, Access Denied, on Public Radio International's The…

News
Mar 14, 2008

John Palfrey discusses Internet filtering on NYT podcast Tech Talk

Berkman Executive Director and OpenNet Initiative (ONI) Principal Investigator John Palfrey is featured this week on the New York Times podcast Tech Talk. Host Bettina Edelstein…


Community

Harvard Law Today

Is it time to swipe left on social media?

Jonathan Zittrain, evelyn douek, and John Palfrey share insights on the consequences of social media after a Facebook whistleblower dominated headlines last week. "Regulators…

Oct 12, 2021
Harvard Law Bulletin

Oh, what a tangled web we weave

The Harvard Law Bulletin showcases work from members of the Berkman Klein community on mis- and disinformation and the Center’s projects and programs that produce it.

Jun 14, 2021
Smithsonian Magazine

Ten Research-Backed Tips on Parenting in a Digital Era

With screen time at a high during the Covid-19 pandemic, John Palfrey and Urs Gasser offer some advice

Feb 16, 2021
The Harvard Gazette

John Palfrey takes over the MacArthur Foundation as its sixth president

Palfrey was BKC’s Executive Director from 2002-2008

Sep 23, 2019
The Wall Street Journal

How 13 Became the Internet’s Age of Adulthood

The inside story of COPPA, a law from the early days of e-commerce that is shaping a generation and creating a parental minefield

Jun 18, 2019
MacArthur Foundation

John Palfrey Named New MacArthur President

“I am an optimist, who believes that creativity, rigor, and selective disruption can make outsized social impact possible."

Mar 5, 2019

Courses

Cyberlaw and Intellectual Property: Advanced Problem Solving Workshop - Spring 2012

Students in this course will work in teams to solve a series of hard problems related to cyberlaw and intellectual property, leveraging the problem-solving methodology of teaching…

Problem Solving Workshop - Winter 2012

What sorts of problems do lawyers solve? How do they solve them? What intellectual constructs do they bring to bear? What practical judgments? This workshop-style course will help…

Problem Solving - Winter 2010

Lawyers spend most of their time trying to solve their clients' problems. What sorts of problems do lawyers solve? How do they solve them? What intellectual constructs do they…

Seminar on Research Methods on Internet and Society - Fall + Spring 2009

The Internet, digital media and new computational tools raise new challenges while also offering new opportunities for ways to study our social world and the social, political,…

Course

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2008

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

The Web Difference? Digital Media, Entertainment, and the Law - Spring 2008

This course will examine the claim of Internet exceptionalism and the implications of this claim in the context of the law and society.

Venture Capital and the Technology Start-up - Winter 2008

This course focuses on the legal and business aspects of technology start-ups, with an emphasis on matters relating to intellectual property.

Course

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2007

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

Internet, Law, and Politics: Seminar - Spring 2007

This course will consider some of the most intriguing of the political and legal issues to which the advent of the Internet gives rise. The course will seek to frame these…

Practical Lawyering in Cyberspace: Seminar - Fall 2006

Using a variety of cyberlaw-related case studies drawn from recent, actual controversies, along with targeted readings, court filings, real-life testimony, deposition videotapes…

Freshman Seminar 40p - The Law of the Internet - Fall 2006

This seminar will consider some of the most intriguing of the issues to which the advent of the internet has given and continues to give rise. It will focus on a cluster of topics…

Cyberlaw and the Global Economy - Fall 2004

This seminar will focus on recent developments in cyberlaw with impact on commercial and cross-border transactions. The course is not exclusively an international or comparative…

Digital Democracy - Fall 2003

Over the past 15 years, digital information and communication networks have spread rapidly across the globe, bringing with them hopes for, and claims of, fundamental change in the…

Internet Law 2003: Program of Instruction for Lawyers

The Internet is maturing. With it, the laws and the norms that surround the use of Internet technologies have less of an edgy feel than they did just a few years ago. Yet much of…

Internet & Society: The Technologies and Politics of Control - Spring 2002, Harvard Extension School

Internet & Society: The Technologies and Politics of Control - Spring 2002, Harvard Extension School


Events

Event
Nov 10, 2020 @ 4:00 PM

The Connected Parent: An Expert Guide to Parenting in a Digital World

Video & Podcast: A Harvard Law School Library Faculty Book Talk with Urs Gasser and John Palfrey

Video & Podcast A Harvard Law School Library Faculty Book Talk with Urs Gasser and John Palfrey

Event
Oct 24, 2017 @ 5:00 PM

Safe Spaces, Brave Spaces

with author John Palfrey, Head of School at Phillips Academy, Andover

Often in today’s political climate our commitments to liberty and equality are set at odds with one another. This tension is nowhere more evident than when we pit free expression…

Sep 27, 2016 @ 4:00 PM

Power and Participation in the Networked Public Sphere

with John Palfrey, Yochai Benkler, Intisar Rabb, Zeynep Tufekci, Catherine Bracy, and Jonathan Zittrain

A creative discussion about the impact of the networked public sphere on global events, power dynamics, and our society at large, and how that influence may be changing in years…

Event
Sep 21, 2016 @ 5:00 PM

Born Digital: How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age

featuring authors, John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

This publication is the expanded and updated version of the critically-acclaimed 2008 book, Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of DigitalNatives. The new edition…

Jun 22, 2015 @ 6:00 PM

BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever In An Age of Google

with author John Palfrey

John Palfrey argues that anyone seeking to participate in the 21st century needs to understand how to find and use the vast stores of information available online. Libraries play…

Event
May 30, 2012 @ 6:00 PM

Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser discussed their new book on Interoperability book and its themes.

Mar 22, 2012 @ 6:00 PM

A conversation with Julie Brill, Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission

with Professor John Palfrey, Harvard Law School & Berkman Center for Internet & Society

John Palfrey of the Berkman Center will engage the Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission’s policy and enforcement initiatives in the area of online privacy and data…

Feb 7, 2012 @ 6:00 PM

Connecting Democracy: Online Consultation and the Flow of Political Communication

Book event and discussion

A Panel Discussion about Connecting Democracy: Online Consultation and the Flow of Political Communication

Nov 21, 2011 @ 6:00 PM

Intellectual Property Strategy

John Palfrey, Berkman Center Faculty Co-Director and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School + Special Guests

Entrepreneurs, corporate managers and nonprofit administrators should look at intellectual property as a key strategic asset. In his new book, “Intellectual Property Strategy” …

Sep 12, 2011 @ 5:00 PM

News and Entertainment in the Digital Age: A Vast Wasteland Revisited

In 1961, Newt Minow – then Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission – delivered a landmark speech to the National Association of Broadcasters on “Television and the…

Sep 6, 2011 @ 6:30 PM

[September 6] Berkman Center Fall 2011 Open House

Come to the Berkman Center for Internet & Society’s Open House to meet our faculty, fellows, and staff, and to learn about the many ways you can get involved in our dynamic,…

May 3, 2011 @ 12:00 PM

Academic Uses of Social Media: Exploring 21st Century Communications

Webcast Event

Social media — from blogs to wikis to tweets — have become academic media, new means by which scholars communicate, collaborate, and teach. Hear from a distinguished faculty panel…

Nov 9, 2010 @ 5:00 PM

Chair Lecture: The Path of Legal Information

John Palfrey, Henry N. Ess Professor of Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School & Berkman Center Faculty Co-Director

On the occasion of his appointment as the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law, John Palfrey will give a lecture entitled, "The Path of Legal Information."

Sep 7, 2010 @ 6:00 PM

Berkman Center Fall 2010 Open House

Come to our Open House to meet Berkman faculty, fellows, and staff and to learn about the Center's current activities and ways you can get involved...

Jun 18, 2010 @ 10:00 AM

Law.gov: Putting It All Together

The Harvard Law School Law.Gov workshop on June 18 is the last in a 6-month series of such workshops that have taken place throughout the country. In this final workshop,…

Jun 17, 2010 @ 10:00 AM

Law.gov: Massachusetts

Do we have access to all primary legal materials in Massachusetts? What are the best practices for making information accessible? Join a Law.gov workshop focused on outlining the…

Event
Feb 3, 2009 @ 12:30 PM

ISTTF: Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies

John Palfrey, danah boyd, Dena Sacco, Laura DeBonis

John Palfrey, danah boyd, Dena Sacco, Laura DeBonis, directors of the recently concluded Internet Safety Technical Task Force, discuss the findings and recommendations from the…

Event
Sep 23, 2008 @ 8:00 PM

Born Digital (Cambridge Book Talk & Reception)

by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

The Berkman Center celebrated the release of John Palfrey and Urs Gasser's "Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives" at Harvard Law School.

Event
Mar 14, 2008 @ 7:30 PM

Berkman Book Release: Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering

by Ronald Deibert (Editor), John G. Palfrey (Editor), Rafal Rohozinski (Editor), Jonathan Zittrain (Editor)

The OpenNet Initiative’s new book, Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering, is now on bookshelves.

Event
Nov 16, 2007 @ 12:48 AM

Breaking Down Digital Barriers

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Present New Research on Interoperability

This joint report followed the Roadmap to Open ICT Ecosystems released in 2005, as it navigates the nuanced territory of consumer, corporate, and governmental interests in the…

Jul 16, 2007 @ 12:00 AM

The Summer Doctoral Programme (SDP)

The Summer Doctoral Programme (SDP) is a joint effort of the Berkman Center and the Oxford Internet Institute, which provides top doctoral students from around the world with the…

Event
Apr 24, 2007 @ 12:30 PM

Access Denied: the Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering

Robert Faris and John Palfrey previewed Access Denied

Rob Faris and John Palfrey gave us a preview of the OpenNet Initiative's most recent publication, Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering.

Dec 9, 2004 @ 12:00 AM

Internet & Society Conference 2004 (IS2k4): Votes, Bits, and Bytes

The Internet & Society 2004 conference, entitled "Votes, Bits, and Bytes," took place on December 9 - 11, 2004, on the Harvard campus.

Feb 17, 2004 @ 12:30 PM

The Accountable Net

Susan Crawford and John Palfrey

Berkman Luncheon Series: 2/17/04 - Susan Crawford and John Palfrey on The Accountable Net

Feb 5, 2004 @ 6:00 PM

Cyberscholar Working Group: John Palfrey, David Johnson and Susan Crawford on The Accountable Internet

February 5, 2004. The Accountable Net - Harvard-Yale Cyberscholar Working Group. Three problems of online life:­ spam, informational privacy, and network security ­ lend…