Kenneth Olmstead

At the Internet Society, I co-lead Measuring the Internet. This project collects data on key properties of the Internet and displays them in any easily understandable way on the Pulse website. We use this data to tell stories about how healthy the Internet is as a whole across many different aspects, such as tracking Internet shutdowns.

My other main focus is on encryption. I research, write, and speak advocating for the use of strong encryption and to explain why governments should never break it for any reason. Doing so harms the Internet itself and all those who use it. I also dabble in other issues, including broadband access, intermediary liability, and Internet governance.

I’m interested in how the Internet affects society. Before joining the Internet Society, my background was using social science, from surveys to big data analysis, to understand the Internet’s broader affect on the world. I have worked on topics including cybersecurity, online dating, and privacy.

When I’m not contemplating the mysteries of the Internet I can be found hiking with my dog, going to concerts, or binge watching something my parents probably wouldn’t approve of.