# Peter Eckersley

> Australian computer scientist, security researcher, and activist (1978/1979–2022)

**Wikidata**: [Q113688149](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113688149)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Eckersley_(computer_scientist))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/peter-eckersley

## Summary
Peter Eckersley was an Australian computer scientist, security researcher, and Internet activist known for advancing web encryption and user privacy. He helped create and develop major privacy and HTTPS projects such as Let’s Encrypt, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere, and worked at organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Partnership on AI.

## Biography
- Born: 1978-06-13, Melbourne
- Nationality: Australia
- Education: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in fields of computer science and law, University of Melbourne (completed 2012)
- Known for: Contributions to Let's Encrypt, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere
- Employer(s): Electronic Frontier Foundation (2006–2018); Partnership on AI (director of research, 2018–2020); OpenAI (visiting scholar)
- Field(s): Computer science, computer security, Internet activism

## Contributions
Peter Eckersley played a central role in practical work that expanded web privacy and encryption. While at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (2006–2018) he contributed to browser and privacy projects widely associated with EFF, including Privacy Badger and HTTPS Everywhere. He helped create Let’s Encrypt, an initiative that worked to make TLS/HTTPS certificates freely available and easier to deploy across the web. At the Partnership on AI (2018–2020) he served as director of research, engaging on technical and policy issues at the intersection of AI and society. He also held a visiting scholar role at OpenAI. Eckersley published and spoke on security and privacy topics, and maintained an active presence in open-source communities (GitHub username: pde). His practical engineering, advocacy, and research combined to produce tools and services used by developers, site operators, and privacy-conscious users to increase encryption and reduce tracking on the web.

## FAQs
### Q: Who was Peter Eckersley?
A: Peter Eckersley was an Australian computer scientist, security researcher, and Internet activist known for work on web encryption and privacy tools. He worked at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and later at the Partnership on AI.

### Q: What projects is he known for?
A: He is known for Let's Encrypt, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere. These projects are cited as key contributions to expanding HTTPS adoption and improving end-user privacy online.

### Q: When and how did he die?
A: Peter Eckersley died on 2022-09-02 in San Francisco. The cause of death was colorectal cancer; manner of death was reported as natural causes.

## Why They Matter
Eckersley’s work addressed core, practical barriers to web security and privacy. By helping create and promote projects such as Let’s Encrypt, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere, he contributed to lowering technical and financial obstacles to deploying HTTPS and reducing web tracking. Those efforts made it easier for website operators to provide encrypted connections and for users to protect their privacy in everyday browsing. His roles at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Partnership on AI placed him at the junction of engineering and policy, influencing both implementation and public debate about digital rights, surveillance, and responsible AI research. The posthumous recognition by the Internet Hall of Fame in 2023 reflects the lasting adoption and institutional influence of tools and norms he helped advance. Without his contributions, the pace of HTTPS deployment and the availability of widely used privacy tools would likely have been slower, leaving more web traffic unencrypted and users more exposed to tracking.

## Notable For
- Helping create Let’s Encrypt, a major initiative to broaden access to TLS certificates for HTTPS.
- Significant contributions to Privacy Badger and HTTPS Everywhere, projects focused on blocking tracking and promoting secure connections.
- Long-term staff member at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (2006–2018), where much of his applied privacy work was developed.
- Director of Research at the Partnership on AI (2018–2020), engaging on AI policy and research intersections.
- Inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame (point in time: 2023).

## Body
### Early life and education
- Born 1978-06-13 in Melbourne, Australia.
- Earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with study areas listed as computer science and law at the University of Melbourne, completing in 2012.

### Career overview
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
  - Employed from 2006 until 2018.
  - Worked on security and privacy tools and advocacy during this period.
- Partnership on AI
  - Served as director of research from 2018 until 2020.
  - Engaged on research and policy at the intersection of AI and society.
- OpenAI
  - Held a visiting scholar role (dates unspecified).

### Key projects and outputs
- Let's Encrypt
  - Cited among his notable works. He helped create the initiative that addressed deployment of TLS/HTTPS certificates.
- Privacy Badger
  - Associated with his work on anti-tracking and privacy-enhancing browser tools.
- HTTPS Everywhere
  - Associated with his efforts to promote encrypted connections across the web.
- Public presence and tooling
  - Active in open-source communities (GitHub username: pde).
  - Maintained a public website at https://pde.is and a Twitter account (pde33).

### Recognition and identifiers
- Award: Internet Hall of Fame (point in time: 2023).
- Author identifiers: dblp author id 79/417; ACM Digital Library author id 81472654520.
- Wikimedia/online identifiers: Wikipedia entry titled "Peter Eckersley (computer scientist)"; Wikimedia Commons category; wikimedia username Pde.

### Death
- Died on 2022-09-02 in San Francisco.
- Cause of death reported as colorectal cancer.
- Manner of death reported as natural causes.

### Personal and other data
- Citizenship: Australia.
- Residence: San Francisco.
- Aliases and usernames: Peter Daniel Eckersley; pde; Twitter handle pde33; GitHub username pde.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-eckersley-helped-encrypt-internet-traffic-to-foil-snoops-11662732014)
2. [Source](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/peter-eckersley-may-his-memory-be-a-blessing/183854)
3. [Source](https://www.internethalloffame.org/inductee/peter-eckersley/)
4. [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Fz1V3LZtw)
5. [Source](https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2022/09/04/peter-eckersley-co-creator-of-lets-encrypt-dies-at-just-43/)