Center for the literary arts in New York State
SAVING DEMOCRACY WITH ONLINE TOOLS
Heidi Boghosian
4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, 2026
University at Albany
Multi-Purpose Room
Campus Center West Addition
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany NY 12222 - See map.
Heidi Boghosian, lawyer, radio host, writer, and surveillance and privacy expert, is the author of Cyber Citizens: Saving Democracy with Digital Literacy (2025), which argues that our best chance of thriving in the digital era lies in taking care of our “smart” selves as diligently as we maintain our “smart” devices.
She also guides us in learning to master the rights and duties of citizenship, in order to meet the looming challenges to democracy posed by AI and other emerging technologies. For 21 years she has hosted the radio show and podcast "Law and Disorder."
Boghosian is executive director of the A.J. Muste Foundation for Peace and Justice, a charitable organization providing support to activist organizations. Before that she was executive director of the National Lawyers Guild. Her previous book was "I Have Nothing to Hide": And 20 Other Myths About Surveillance and Privacy (2021).
Major support and funding provided by The Professor Ben-Ami Lipetz NYSWI Fund. Cosponsored by the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC).
Praise for Cyber Citizens
“Essential reading for today’s online citizenry, featuring dense but vital research.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Heidi Boghosian’s Cyber Citizens makes the case that mass surveillance, digital illiteracy, and the erosion of civic engagement combine to pose a pernicious, existential threat to democracy. Equal parts practical digital security guide and timely civics lesson, Cyber Citizens has answers for anyone who has looked at the political landscape and asked, ‘What can I do?’”
— Lauren Harper, Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy, Freedom of the Press Foundation
“Cyber Citizens is a masterclass in civic activism for the digital age. We can’t rely on tech companies to safeguard our democracy: it’s up to each of us. As surveillance and disinformation are normalized, Heidi Boghosian offers an accessible, urgently needed tool kit for digital disruption.”
— Will Potter, investigative journalist and author of Green Is the New Red
“In today’s information-saturated world, Cyber Citizens serves as a survival manual for defending against cybersecurity and other online threats. Read it, share it with others, and be a more responsible digital citizen.”
—Oliver Page, cofounder and CEO of CyberNut
