Emma Weil

Senior Policy Analyst

Emma Weil is a Senior Policy Analyst at Upturn. Emma’s work has included major research into the scope of law enforcement’s power to search cell phones, and also technical assistance and advocacy concerning access to social safety net programs — such as work with Legal Aid to maintain and reinstate people’s enrollment in Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income. Emma is interested in how technology can both obscure and be the site of political issues. They focus on the connections between policing, the social safety net, credit, labor, and race, class, gender, and disability. Emma previously interned at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, researching and writing about Internet of Things surveillance.

Emma has a B.A. in computer science from Harvard University, where they studied operating systems, the history of technology, and studio art. In their free time they can be found biking, watching horror movies, or at a punk concert.

Participating Sessions

Eyes Everywhere: The Widening Net of Government Surveillance

In this panel, we explore the expanding threats to the privacy of our devices and hard drives through mass extraction techniques, especially by law enforcement and border authorities. The practice has far-reaching implications for fundamental rights, including privacy and the presumption of innocence, but it also poses a particular peril for journalists and filmmakers seeking to protect their sources and material, along with ethical questions about the use of information...