Sean O’Brien is a subject-matter expert in cybersecurity, privacy, Web3, and Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). He is a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School teaching Cybersecurity. Sean is a Visiting Fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, where he founded and leads the Privacy Lab initiative. He developed a Web3 and Blockchain class at Yale as well as Hacking and Cybersecurity at the Lawfare Institute and was founding Head Tutor at Oxford Cyber Security for Business Leaders. Sean is Chief Technology Officer at Panquake. Sean’s expertise has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes, Bloomberg, Popular Science, AP News, NBC News, The Financial Times, Wired, The New Yorker, and more.
Featured Projects
Cybersecurity (LAW 21314)
Development of unique, hands-on curriculum for Yale Law School. Kali Linux pentesting, Raspberry Pis, and more.
Powerful, next generation messaging technology on a custom blockchain with no advertising or manipulation.
Founder of this initiative of the Information Society Project. Forensic analysis of mobile apps, with press in 100+ outlets.
22
years in higher education
120 +
Hands-on Tech Workshops
20
Years In Open Source (FOSS)
26
Years Building on the Web
★★★★★ 5/5
“Sean has distinguished himself as a leader within the Free Software community. He is capable of communicating about the Free Software movement and information technology because he is immersed in it. I have gained a deep appreciation for Sean’s knowledge in his roles as a developer, activist, and educator, as well as his ability to understand and think critically at many different levels and to communicate about difficult issues to people with diverse backgrounds.”
Digital Self-Defense Training
I show people how to be safe and aware while traversing the digital landscape. Learners must approach privacy and cybersecurity step-by-step, integrating strategies rather than relying on catch-all solutions.
Cyber Attack Demos
I want people to see cyber attacks first-hand so they can guard against them. My demonstrations contain safe, simplified examples of real-world attacks that are designed for audience interaction.
Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) is a serious threat to privacy, autonomy, and freedom of expression. I am passionately opposed to Face Surveillance via FRT and am pursuing bans at Yale University and for the City of New Haven, Connecticut.
- Press Coverage – Yale Daily News | The Guardian | FFTF Blog | New Haven Indy | ExpressVPN
- Letter to Yale President Peter Salovey, March 2, 2020 (PDF)
- Draft New Haven Face Surveillance Ban (Office Doc)
- Draft New Haven Face Surveillance Ban (PDF)
- All legislative documents are licensed CC0 / released into the Public Domain.
