Sen. Ron Wyden is the foremost defender of Americans’ civil liberties in the U.S. Senate, and a tireless advocate for smart tech policies. Years before Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the dragnet surveillance of Americans, Wyden warned that the Patriot Act was being used in ways that would leave Americans shocked and angry, and his questioning of NSA Director James Clapper in 2013 served as a turning point in the secret surveillance of Americans’ communications.

Since then, Wyden has fought to protect Americans’ privacy and security against unwanted intrusion from the government, criminals and foreign hackers alike. He has opposed the government’s efforts to undermine strong encryption, proposed legislation to hold companies accountable for protecting their users’ data, and authored legislation with Rand Paul to protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights at the border.

Wyden is a senior member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Twitter: @RonWyden Website: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/meet-ron