We are sad to report the passing of longtime EFF Board member, Dave Farber. Dave was 91 and lived in Tokyo from age 83, where he was the Distinguished Professor at Keio University and Co-Director of the Keio Cyber Civilization Research Center (CCRC). Known as the Grandfather of the Internet, Dave made countless contributions to the internet, both directly and through his support for generations of students.
Dave was the longest-serving EFF Board member, having joined in the early 1990s, before the creation of the World Wide Web or the widespread adoption of the internet. Throughout the growth of the internet and the corresponding growth of EFF, Dave remained a consistent, thoughtful, and steady presence on our Board. Dave always gave us credibility as well as ballast. He seemed to know and be respected by everyone who had helped build the internet, having worked with or mentored too many of them to count. He also had an encyclopedic knowledge of the internet’s technical history.
From the beginning, Dave saw both the promise and the danger to human rights that would come with the spread of the internet around the world. He committed to helping make sure that the rights and liberties of users and developers, especially the open source community, were protected. He never wavered in that commitment. Ever the teacher, Dave was also a clear explainer of internet technologies and basically unflappable.
Dave also managed the Interesting People email list, which provided news and connection for so many internet pioneers and served as model for how people from disparate corners of the world could engage in a rolling conversation about all things digital. His role as the Chief Technologist at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission from 2000 to 2001 gave him a strong perspective on the ways that government could help or hinder civil liberties in the digital world.
We will miss his calm, thoughtful voice, both inside EFF and out in the world. May his memory be a blessing.
