About
I’m Eliot Bendinelli, I’m a digital rights advocate, technologist, musician, open-source believer and internet dreamer that hasn’t lost all hope, yet. Between 2018 and 2025 I worked at Privacy International as Senior Technologist and Director of the Corporate Exploitation programme. Before that I worked in UN organisations (ITU, UNEP), a European think tank and for web companies (Acyba & Hikashop).
I currently work with Data Rights to develop its strategic initiatives at the intersection of competition and data protection, with the aim to open up tech monopolies while protecting privacy and security.
I also offer consultancy services including policy development, advocacy strategy, tech research, educational content and AI position development. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you want to have a chat.
Expertise
Data Protection & Online advertising
- Op-ed: Digital Sovereignty Requires More Than Just European Tech, Tech Policy Press, 2025, on the need for interoperability and data portability
- Op-ed: Criteo : « La décision de la CNIL s’attaque à la chaîne de production de données irresponsable qui règne dans l’industrie publicitaire en ligne », Le Monde, 2023, on Adtech company Criteo (co-author)
- Explainer: The companies in control of our secret identities, Privacy International, 2021
- Technical research: Your Mental Health for Sale, Privacy International, 2019, research into depression websites tracking users and leaking personal data with advertisers (report)
- Documentary: “Made to Measure: A Digital Search for Traces”, 2021, documentary on online tracking and profiling
- Essay: “Données? Reprise.”, Jet d’encre, 2018, on data monetisation
Privacy & security
- Essay: The hidden threat: Privacy and security risks in chips, Privacy International, 2025
- Documentary: “All the Prime Minister’s Men”, Al Jazeera, 2021, interview on the use of IMSI Catchers in Bangladesh (at 48:50)
- Interview: Application StopCovid: ce que les dispositifs de surveillance mis en place à l’étranger nous apprennent sur le projet français, France Info, 2020, on covid tracking technologies
Artificial Intelligence and Automated decision-making
- Essay: Are AI Assistants built for us or to exploit us? and other questions for the AI industry, Privacy International, 2025
- Essay: Your future AI Assistant still needs to earn your trust, Privacy International, 2025
- Essay: Generative AI won’t take over the world, surveillance capitalism already has, Privacy International, 2024
- Interview: How AI impacts Human Rights, Mozilla Foundation, 2024
Gig Economy, Algorithmic management and workplace surveillance
- Advocacy: Joint declaration in support of standards on decent work in the platform economy at the international labour conference 2025, Privacy International, 2025
- Policy recommendations: Transparency and explainability for algorithmic decisions at work, Privacy International, 2025
- Research: Creating content in the gig economy: a risky business, Privacy International, 2023
Panels and conferences
- DICOPO online roundtable on AI and Data Regulation, 2024, panelist
- Biometrics Institute Congress 2023, panelist
- Privacy Symposium Africa 2023, panelist
- PrivacyCamp 2022, panelist
- Blackhat 2019, speaker. Talk on depression website tracking users (Your Mental Health for Sale)
- Internet Freedom Festival 2019, speaker
- Digital Security EduCon, 2019, speaker