EPIC Champions of Freedom 2026 will be held on Tuesday, September 22, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the True Reformer Building in Washington, D.C.

EPIC established the Champions of Freedom Awards in 2004 to honor individuals and organizations that have worked to safeguard the right to privacy, open government, and democratic values with courage and integrity.

Like last year, instead of giving out awards, we will bring together featured speakers. As surveillance technology becomes more deeply embedded in our daily lives, the line between Big Tech and government power continues to blur — and poses a serious threat to our civil liberties and democratic freedoms. As a continuation of our Stop the Surveillance State Campaign, EPIC will bring together leading voices to examine what that means for all of us, and what we can do about it. 

This year’s speakers include: 

• Jeremie Scott — EPIC Senior Counsel and Director of the Surveillance Oversight Program, leading our work on the government use of surveillance technology through litigation, advocacy, research and freedom of information act requests. 
• Alicia Granse — Senior Counsel at Groundwork Legal, a nonprofit legal organization that advances justice and democracy; she previously led the ACLU of Minnesota’s work on Tincher v. Noem during Operation Metro Surge — a lawsuit challenging federal immigration agents’ surveillance and attacks on protesters’ and observers’ First and Fourth Amendment rights. 
• Laura Moy — Professor at Georgetown Law and director of a clinic that represents nonprofits on tech law and justice matters. Laura represented an immigrants’ rights organization that led advocacy for the 2026 Maryland Data Privacy Act, which went into effect this July and will reduce ICE’s access to Marylanders’ data. 

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the program will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. 

Dress is business/cocktail attire. Security at the True Reformer Building requires that all attendees be registered in advance and present identification at the door. 

This event is designed as a widely attended event under Congressional ethics rules. Expected attendance is approximately 200-225 people, including from advocates, government officials, Hill and agency staff, and academics. The fair market value of each ticket is $50.

If you have any questions about the event, please reach out to [email protected].

REGISTER NOW!