Experts

Danielle K. Citron

Fast Facts

  • Vice president, Cyber Civil Rights Initiative
  • 2019 MacArthur Fellow based on her work on cyber stalking and sexual privacy
  • Board member, Electronic Privacy Information Center
  • Expertise on privacyFirst Amendment, feminism and the law, civil rights

Areas Of Expertise

  • Domestic Affairs
  • Human Rights and Civil Rights
  • Law and Justice
  • Media and the Press
  • Science and Technology
  • Social Issues

Danielle K. Citron is the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Schenck Distinguished Professor in Law at the University of Virginia School of Law and vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. Citron was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2019 based on her work on cyber stalking and sexual privacy and was named a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2023.

Her book Hate Crimes in Cyberspace (Harvard University Press) was named one of the “20 Best Moments for Women in 2014” by Cosmopolitan magazine. Her latest book, The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age (W.W. Norton), was named one of Amazon’s Top 100 books of 2023. She has published more than 50 law review articles in outlets including Yale Law JournalCalifornia Law ReviewMichigan Law Review, Stanford Law ReviewTexas Law ReviewNotre Dame Law ReviewSouthern California Law ReviewBoston University Law Review, Emory Law Journal, Fordham Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, Florida Law Review, and Washington University Law Review. Her opinion pieces have appeared in The New York TimesThe AtlanticSlateLawfare, CNN, and the Guardian.

Citron previously taught at the Boston University School of Law, and for 15 years at the University of Maryland School of Law. She is an affiliate scholar at the Stanford Center on Internet and Society, Yale Information Society Project, and NYU’s Policing Project. She served as chair of the board of directors of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and now sits on its board. She serves on the board of directors of the Future of Privacy think tank and on the advisory boards of ADL’s Center for Technology and Society and Teach Privacy. She works closely with Spotify and TikTok as well as federal and state lawmakers on issues of online safety, privacy, and free speech.

Danielle K. Citron News Feed

As technology winds its way into our lives, our privacy is up for grabs, says Danielle Keats Citron, a MacArthur Fellow and distinguished professor of law at the University of Virginia. Citron insists that intimate privacy—concerning our health data, phone images, relationship details, even thoughts—should be recognized as a civil right.
Danielle Citron Virginia Living
University of Virginia School of Law professor Danielle Citron, an expert in privacy law who has advanced the idea of intimate privacy as a civil right, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Danielle K. Citron UVA Today
There’s growing concern in Virginia and across the nation about who should have access to the vast amount of private health information compiled on our phones and online. “Your [phone’s] location data ... tells the story of who you love, where you worship, what you're thinking, who you're sleeping with, the doctors you visit, tells the story of your intimate life,” said Danielle Citron, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Danielle K. Citron VPM
Danielle Citron, faculty senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, is a global powerhouse in the cyber abuse arena.
Danielle K. Citron UVA Today
When the MacArthur Foundation gave Danielle Citron, faculty senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, a $625,000 “genius grant” in 2019, she took a sabbatical and wrote a book that explores how the rise of mass data collection exploits the most intimate details of people’s private lives.
Danielle Citron UVA Today
Danielle Citron, faculty senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, writes that "Apparently, 'Vox Populi' has spoken, and they want former President Donald Trump back on Twitter. A thin majority of 51.8 percent of 15 million poll respondents (including, most likely, bots) voted in favor of Trump’s return."
Danielle K. Citron Slate