Ariana Aboulafia

Ariana Aboulafia leads the Disability Rights in Technology Policy Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology. This project focuses on the ways in which certain technologies — including automated employment decision systems used in hiring, as well as algorithmic tools used in benefits determinations, healthcare, and more — impact disabled people. Above all, CDT’s Disability Rights Project aims to advance policy that protects the digital and civil rights of people with disabilities.

An attorney with a strong background in public interest advocacy, and with particular expertise in disability, technology, criminal law, and the First Amendment, Aboulafia was first introduced to technology policy while serving as a fellow to the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative. Later, she worked as an assistant public defender in Miami-Dade County, providing direct representation to clients facing both misdemeanor and felony criminal charges; she has also served as an officer to the Journalism program at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Ariana holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and law, history and culture from the University of Southern California, as well as a J.D. with a concentration in social justice and public interest from the University of Miami School of Law. Her work has been published in Teen Vogue, Slate and Tech Policy Press, as well as several academic journals.

You can find her on Twitter or LinkedIn.