The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has announced that Carolina Botero, Connecting Humanity, and 404 Media will be the recipients of the 2024 EFF Awards. These awards are given in recognition of significant contributions to ensuring technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation.
The EFF Awards acknowledge achievements in various fields such as journalism, art, digital access, legislation, tech development, and law. The ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 pm PT on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco’s Presidio. Registration details are available on the EFF's website. The event will also be livestreamed and recorded.
Over the past three decades, the EFF Awards have honored key figures who have advanced freedom and innovation online. Originally called the Pioneer Awards when initiated during the early days of the internet, they now reflect its evolution into an essential part of modern life.
“Maintaining internet access in a conflict zone, conducting fearless investigative reporting on how tech impacts our lives, and bringing the fight for digital rights and social justice to significant portions of Latin America are all ways of ensuring technology advances us all,” said EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn. “This year’s EFF Award winners embody the internet’s highest ideals."
Carolina Botero is recognized for her work in fostering digital human rights in Latin America. As executive director of Colombia-based Karisma Foundation for over a decade until this year, she has been a leading voice for freedom of expression, privacy, access to knowledge, justice, and self-determination in digital spaces. She holds master’s degrees from Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Connecting Humanity is acknowledged for its efforts to restore internet access in Gaza through distributing embedded SIMs (eSIMs). Founded by Egyptian journalist Mirna El Helbawi in late 2023, it provides crucial communication tools to Palestinians amid ongoing conflict.
404 Media receives recognition for its fearless journalism since its launch in August 2023 by former Vice Media’s Motherboard journalists Jason Koebler, Sam Cole, Joseph Cox, and Emanuel Maiberg. Their investigative reports have tackled issues like cybersecurity threats and AI-generated non-consensual pornography.
For more information about registering or past honorees visit https://www.eff.org/event/eff-awards-2024 or https://www.eff.org/awards/past-winners respectively.
