Samantha Floreani is a digital rights activist and writer based in Naarm (Melbourne). They advocate for a liberatory digital future in which everyone can thrive and are currently the Head of Policy at Digital Rights Watch.

Their areas of focus include campaigning for privacy law reform, online safety, and resisting surveillance technologies. Their writing explores technology, power and social norms and has been published in The Guardian, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, and elsewhere.

SHORT

Samantha Floreani is a digital rights activist and writer based in Naarm (Melbourne). She is currently the Head of Policy at Digital Rights Watch, where she advocates for human rights as realised in the digital age. Her areas of focus include the impact of pervasive surveillance, privacy as a collective issue, and the political economy of technologies such as artificial intelligence and automated decision making.

With several years of experience working in privacy in both public and private sectors as well as civil society, Samantha believes that an expansive and interdisciplinary approach to privacy is vital. She has previously worked as a Privacy and Technology Specialist with Salinger Privacy, and as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner. Samantha is also a former Board Member for the Australian Privacy Foundation.

Samantha’s interest in privacy and technology prompted her to pursue postgraduate studies in data science, where she developed an interest in fairness in machine learning. While studying, Samantha experienced first-hand the lack of inclusive gender representation in technical spaces. She joined Code Like a Girl as a volunteer, eager to support people from underrepresented groups navigating tech career parthways. Samantha later became Code Like a Girl’s Program Director where she coordinated the program of community events, managed ongoing partnerships with the tech industry, and delivered coding workshops to adults and children.

Samantha is an experienced public speaker and has delivered talks for local, national, and international audiences across topics ranging from digital privacy, ethics in technology, gender socialisation and equality, and gender representation in the tech industry. She appears regularly on television and radio programs including the ABC, The Project, 9 News, SBS, 3CR, 3RRR, and 2SER. Her writing has been published in The Guardian, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, Pedestrian, Junkee and the Sydney Morning Herald, among others.