San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has received a $3 million dollar grant from the Adams Charitable Foundation to fund the new Adams Chair for Internet Rights. The donation is being held in an endowment to permanently fund a position on EFF's legal team.

EFF Senior Staff Attorney Lee Tien has been selected to be the first Adams Chair. Since joining EFF nearly 15 years ago, Tien has fought to preserve our freedom to speak, read, associate, and innovate without fear of surveillance, and for the right to develop and use technology that enhances digital civil liberties. Tien has been a key member of EFF's legal team challenging the NSA's massive expansion into domestic spying, including Hepting v. AT&T—the first major lawsuit about illegal collection of phone records data from millions of ordinary Americans, originally filed in 2006.

"EFF is grateful for the support of the Adams Charitable Foundation," said EFF Executive Director Shari Steele. "The Adams Chair for Internet Rights will provide support for EFF's legal work for years to come."

Contact:

Rebecca Jeschke

Media Relations Director

Electronic Frontier Foundation

press@eff.org