The Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mr. Edetaen Ojo, has been re-appointed to the 2026–2028 cohort of the Advisory Network of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), an alliance of 41 countries working together to advance internet freedom, digital rights, and human rights online.
Mr. Ojo is among 30 distinguished digital rights experts from around the world selected to serve on the Coalition’s Advisory Network (FOC-AN), a multi-stakeholder body which brings together leading voices from civil society, the private sector, academia and the technical community to provide strategic advice and guidance to the Coalition on digital policy issues, including internet governance, human rights online, freedom of expression, privacy, access to information, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, among others.
He returns to the Advisory Network after previously serving on the body, making him one of a few members reappointed for the new term in recognition of their experience and continuing contributions to the Coalition’s work.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Ojo said: “I am honoured to have been selected once again to serve on the FOC’s Advisory Network, which is a unique opportunity to engage with and possibly influence key governments from across the globe dedicated to promoting and defending internet freedom and human rights online. At a time when digital technologies are reshaping every aspect of our societies, it is essential that Africa has a strong voice in global discussions on digital governance and that human rights remain at the centre of technological development. I look forward to continuing to work with and learn from colleagues from around the world on the critical issue of how to advance an open, free, secure, and inclusive internet that serves everyone.”
The FOC is a partnership of governments committed to promoting internet freedom and protecting human rights online with its membership currently standing at 41, following the formal withdrawal of one of its founding members, the United States, by the Trump Administration through a letter addressed to the current FOC Chair, Switzerland, on February 10, 2026, in accordance with the membership withdrawal process outlined in the FOC Terms of Reference.
Its Advisory Network is an independent multistakeholder group composed of civil society, academia and private sector representatives who provide advice on its aims, objectives and activities; facilitate dialogue between governments and other stakeholders on digital policy issues; as well as support the FOC’s mission of promoting and protecting human rights, both online and offline, worldwide. FOC-AN members contribute to the Coalition’s activities and events, and regularly engage with the FOC Governments through Strategy and Coordination Meetings and other convenings.
The newly announced 2026–2028 Advisory Network reflects the Coalition’s commitment to diversity and multistakeholder engagement, with members drawn from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern and Western Europe, North America, and Others. The Network includes representatives of internationally respected organizations such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, Cloudflare, the Global Network Initiative, International IDEA, IFEX, ICNL, Derechos Digitales, Data Privacy Brasil, Research ICT Africa, Paradigm Initiative, DotAsia Organisation, Vanderbilt University, the European University, and the Software Freedom Law Center (India), among others.
Mr. Ojo is one of four members based in Africa appointed to the new Advisory Network, alongside fellow Nigerian, Ms Khadijah El-Usman of Paradigm Initiative, Ms Liz Orembo of Research ICT Africa, and Egyptian digital rights advocate, Mr. Mohamed Farahat.
In addition to Mr. Ojo, other members of the Advisory Network include Ms Alexandria Walden, Head of Human Rights and Founder of the Human Rights and Freedom of Expression Programme at Google; Ms Elonnai Hickok, Managing Director of the Global Network Initiative (GNI ); Ms Flavia Alves, Director and Head of International Institutions and Relations at Meta; Mr. Juan Carlos Lara, Executive Director of Derechos Digitales; Ms Liz Orembo, a Research Fellow at Research ICT Africa; Mr. Michael Samway, former President of The Business and Human Rights Group and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC; Mr. Konstantinos Komaitis, Senior Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), and its Tech and Democracy Initiative.
Also on the new FOC-AN are Ms Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Executive Director of the Tech Global Institute; Mr. Zach Lampell, Senior Legal Advisor for Freedom of Expression and Digital Rights at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL); Dr Patryk Pawlak, a visiting fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute; Dr. Rafael Zanatta, Director of Data Privacy Brasil and as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of São Paulo Faculty of Law; Ms Sara Fratti, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Iniciativa Latinoamericana de Datos Abiertos (ILDA); Ms Sarah Clarke Director of Communications and Advocacy; Ms Sophia Tawonga Longwe, Project Manager, Policy at Wikimedia Germany; and Ms Timea Suto, Global Digital Policy Lead at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), managing global business input for the ICC’s Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative.
The new cohort also has Ms Mahsa Alimardani, Associate Director of the Technology Threats and Opportunities program at Witness; Ms Nicole Karlebach, Assistant General Counsel, Responsible Business Practices at Microsoft; Jennifer Chung, Vice President, Policy at DotAsia Organisation; Mr. Jordi Calvet-Bademunt, a Senior Research Fellow with The Future of Free Speech and a Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States; Ms Khadijah El-Usman, Senior Programmes Officer for Anglophone West Africa at Paradigm Initiative (PIN); Ms Kristina Rikhter, Legal Adviser at Association Human Constanta International; and Ms Layal Jebran, a cybersecurity expert and digital protection specialist as well as Former Regional Community Engagement Manager, Middle East for the Internet Society (ISOC).
Others are Ms Marlena Wisniak, Senior Legal Manager at the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL); Ms Mishi Choudhary, former Legal Director of the Software Freedom Law Center and founder of SFLC.in.; Mr. Owen Bennett, expert in the law and regulation of digital technologies, and former Head of International Online Safety at Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator; Mr. Pablo Hinojosa, a digital governance expert and former Director for Multilateral Affairs in the Mexican Federal Telecommunications Commission (COFETEL), during which he represented Mexico at ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC); and Mr. Patrick Day, Director/Head of Cloudflare Impact at Cloudflare.
The newly announced cohort is expected to contribute to the Coalition’s work over the next two years by providing expert guidance on emerging digital policy issues, supporting the development of policy positions, and helping to promote a free, open, secure and rights-respecting internet worldwide.
The diversity of the new Advisory Network reflects the increasingly global nature of digital governance challenges and the importance of inclusive, multi-stakeholder approaches to protecting human rights online.
Current governments that are part of the Coalition include: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, and Kenya.
The others are the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Maldives, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom, while Taiwan is an observer.
