Christian Cirhigiri is the Director of the Online Expression and Civic Space Programme at the Centre for Democracy & Technology Europe. He leads EU-level policy advocacy around the implementation of the DSA and its related frameworks. He also advocates for the protection and promotion of democratic values and fundamental rights online – particularly on online platforms that host user-generated content – with a view to nurture a diverse, pluralistic and healthy civic space.
Christian brings over a decade of experience at the intersection of tech policy, human rights, and peacebuilding. Most recently, as Senior Program Expert at the International Center for Transitional Justice, Christian supported the Ethiopia and Sudan country programs in developing their transitional justice programs, with an emphasis on victim participation through CSO coordination. He also developed the strategic roadmap for the tech and transitional justice portfolio aimed to address online challenges faced by human rights defenders in violent TJ contexts.
Previously, he served as the EU focal point at Search for Common Ground Europe advancing advocacy on the integration of a conflict sensitivity lens in the implementation of the DSA, drawing on insights beyond the EU in regulating tech platforms in elections and conflict settings. His work has encompassed privacy, platform accountability, transparency, and content moderation.
Christian holds a Masters degree in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame and is completing a doctoral degree in Law and Criminology at Ghent University.
Op-Ed: France’s Constitutional Council Ruling Tests the Limits of Social Media Bans
Read our analysis the legal and policy significance of the Constitutional Council’s decision on ongoing social media age restriction and age assurance debates ahead of the most-anticipated EU-wide approach on child online safety due by December 2026.
CDT Europe’s Analysis of the EU Special Panel Report on Child Safety Online
CDT Europe’s analysis of the EU Special Panel Report on Child Safety Online, which looks into the key recommendations of the report, noting its strengths whilst underlining some blind spots that merit additional attention to ensure that subsequent policy developments strike a delicate, yet critical, balance between protecting children online and safeguarding fundamental rights.
CDT Europe’s Response to the Trusted Flaggers Guidelines Consultation
CDT Europe welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Trusted Flaggers Guidelines public consultation and to reiterate the value of an effectively functioning trusted flagger mechanism in advancing the DSA’s enforcement.
